Florian Wirtz confirms Liverpool masterplan to win the Champions League

Even though Liverpool won the Premier League last season, a number of mistakes were made.

One of which was losing to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, which was one of the most disappointing performances the club has ever delivered on a big stage. It was pretty embarrassing at times.

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And then you've got the FA Cup loss to Plymouth - who were bottom of the Championship table at the time. Questions have to be asked if the Premier League winners could get unstuck like that.

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-But the most concerning of all was probably the Champions League defeat to Paris Saint Germain, as the Reds were outplayed for most of the tie, despite making it to penalties after 210 minutes of play.

That loss in particular would have made a significant impression on Arne Slot and he would've been racking his brain about how to make his team more resilient in future. We think he's found a solution.

Wirtz inadvertently spills Slot's plans

After the Reds' final game of pre-season against Athletic Club on Monday evening, Florian Wirtz spoke to the press and answered a number of questions about how his £116m move has gone so far.

Speaking to Paul Joyce at The Times, he said: "I think I am a player who needs freedom on the pitch and the manager give it to me. Of course, I have to respect the position and the players around me, but I try to give my best on the pitch and find the right places. I have the freedom for this.

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"I came [to Liverpool] because I thought I could fit in this team [straight away] and I am enjoying playing with these players. Every time it is getting a little bit better so I am happy with his it is going."

Of course, it will take time for Wirtz to begin to fully feel at home on Merseyside, but the connections he is developing with his teammates already will certainly stand him in good stead moving forward.

The freedom he talks about playing with is particularly interesting from a tactical point of view.

Of course, he's Liverpool's new No. 10 and we're aware that he can play at left-wing occasionally or even position himself further forward as a false nine type of centre-forward, should we need him to.

But the positions he can take up in the half-spaces, wherever they might be, are going to be essential to getting the best of him and his teammates. So while he might be expected to play a specific role according to a starting XI graphic, he'll be far more mobile in the games than that.

In Monday's contest, which the Reds won 3-2, we also saw Hugo Ekitike dribble down the left-hand side of the pitch and cut inside before offloading the ball to Mohamed Salah for a composed finish.

The Frenchman is known for occasionally drifting away from the central areas, but he looked like a fully-fledged left-winger. It's this flexibility and 'freedom', if you will, that can help Slot tactically.

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One of the main impressions PSG made on me and most of the onlookers watching the Liverpool game was that they are a serious team and their attackers' roles aren't classically defined . At times, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia would all be in different fluid positions.

Their unpredictability unsettled a lot of the teams they came up against in their Champions League-winning run and Liverpool were most certainly one of them. Luis Enrique's set-up signified a potential new dawn on how teams should go about their business and Wirtz's insight suggests that Slot might well have been inspired by what he saw. If so, we're in for a hell of a season this year.

More evidence is required before we can get too excited, we've only had a few preseason games so far, but if different players start popping up in unusual positions, then know that Slot is constantly trying to adapt the side to keep opposition teams on their toes. Liverpool 2.0 is a different animal.

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