Liverpool boss Arne Slot tactically outclassed Pep Guardiola and demonstrated his Jose Mourinho-like flexibility when his side beat Manchester City, Reds expert David Lynch has argued.
The Merseysiders emerged as 2-0 victors against City on Sunday, with goals from Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai enough to secure all three points.
Slot deployed Curtis Jones and Szoboszlai up front, with the duo alternating with each other in a false nine and attacking midfield role, and the pair caused City numerous problems.
Lynch was keen to praise Liverpool's approach without the ball, suggesting that Slot's tactical approach on Sunday was reminiscent of Mourinho's at Chelsea, telling Sports Mole: "Arne Slot went down a totally different route and got it absolutely spot on. Liverpool were so economical in attack and just attacked when they needed to.
"As soon as they took it to 2-0 in the 37th minute, the decision was made to wrap up the game as a contest, to [play] a low block. That was surprising because we haven't seen Liverpool do that for years for starters, but also certainly under Arne Slot. It was 34% possession [Liverpool] end up with, and that's just not been his calling card since he's come in.
"There was so much talk [about when] Arne Slot came to England about him being a Pep Guardiola disciple - this was a very Jose Mourinho type performance, and I mean Jose Mourinho when he was in his absolute pomp, so that speaks to the flexibility of Arne Slot."
Liverpool's possession figure of 34% was their lowest in a Premier League victory on record since Opta began collecting data in 2003-04.
How did Arne Slot change his approach against Pep Guardiola?
Liverpool managed to produce four shots on target and only created one big chance against Guardiola's side, whereas they they had generated over six attempts on target per game in their other 26 Premier League fixtures, as well as 107 big chances.
However, the victors prevented City from creating a big chance of their own, and centre-backs Vigil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate dominated their box, making 14 clearances during the course of the game.
Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch noted that Slot altered his entire game model on Sunday, saying: "It was very different to the win earlier this season which was by the same scoreline, but also completely different to how I expected this game to go if Liverpool were to win it. I imagined coming into this that Liverpool's best chance of getting a result was to turn it into a game of transitions.
"[Liverpool's style has] been all about dominance in possession, being a pressing team - not surrendering the ball as frequently as Liverpool did. They were happy to sit in and close the space, and that's surprising because yes, Arne Slot hasn't done it before at Liverpool, but also because generally surrendering the ball to City is a bad idea.
"Over the years they've been so adept at unlocking those low blocks, probably the best team in the world at doing that, so it seemed a crazy tactic and not one we thought was coming but it worked to a tee. The extent to which Liverpool limited Manchester City was ridiculous - they get 0.63 expected goals from about 16 shots. So many low quality shots that you never felt there was any danger."
Liverpool faced an xG figure of 0.65 against Manchester City, which was in fact lower than the average of 0.93 xG they had faced in their prior 26 Premier League games.
© Imago
Could Slot's flexibility help Liverpool in the Champions League?
Liverpool's victory against City was hugely significant in the title race given the Reds have moved 11 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal with just 11 fixtures left to play in the Premier League.
Their commanding advantage at the top of the table could mean they will be able to switch focus to their Champions League campaign as they now have a large margin of error.
Lynch also expressed his view that if Slot applies the same tactical flexibility he demonstrated against City in Europe, then there is every chance that the team could advance to the latter stages of the tournament.
The Reds expert told Sports Mole: "It was a real boost for Liverpool fans to see that flexibility because [although] the Premier League is where it was [played] and maybe it won't be that crucial over the remainder of the [league] campaign, but in the Champions League, having that flexibility is very important.
"Now he's shown it's not just those tweaks he can make in games, that he can come up with plans like this when you least expect it - they can bamboozle their opponents, so a really good day for Liverpool, and a good day for the manager."
Liverpool will take on Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash on March 5, and fans will hope that Slot can form a tactical plan to counter the French side's strengths.
Lewis Nolan
