Arne Slot used a new weapon in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Wolves | OneFootball

Jeremie Frimpong gives Liverpool a route through low blocks under Arne Slot

Liverpool’s season has had a familiar feel, the kind where the table does not quite tell the whole story. Arne Slot is the current Liverpool manager and he won the Premier League title in his debut season last year. This year, Liverpool find themselves sitting 4th after 18 games played. After an awful run of form in October and November, Liverpool have now gone seven games unbeaten across all competitions and have won their last four games against Inter Milan, Brighton, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves, capped by a 2-1 win over Wolves.

That run has had a few clear ingredients, improved control in midfield, sharper decision making in the final third, and an uptick in intensity without the ball. 

Still, there is another issue that keeps coming back for any top side, low blocks. When teams defend deep and narrow, you can dominate possession and still look short of ideas. Liverpool need players who can create instability, who can turn a neat passing move into a defensive emergency. Jeremie Frimpong, at his best, does exactly that.

Wolves match moments that mattered

The Wolves game offered a clean example of why Frimpong matters. When the opposition sits in, the first breakthrough often arrives from a player willing to take responsibility in a tight corridor, beat a defender, and then make the simple pass that finishes the job. Liverpool’s first goal in that 2-1 win had that shape, and it carried a message for the weeks ahead.

Photo: IMAGO

It was not about forcing crosses from poor angles or hoping for a lucky second ball. It was about manipulating a set defence with pace, close control, and a directness that asks defenders to turn and run.

David Lynch’s assessment of Frimpong

David Lynch, who spoke to Dave Davis for Anfield Index, captured both the context and the upside. Frimpong’s start at Liverpool has not been straightforward, yet the glimpses have been loud enough to change how opponents set up against Slot’s side.

“With Frimpong, it has been a strange one for him because it’s been a difficult start for him with the injuries.”“But we’ve seen against Spurs and Wolves how good of a player he is and what he can bring.”“We know how hard it can be to break down a low-block and that’s exactly what he did for the first goal where he uses his pace and trickery to beat his man and drag it back to Gravenberch.”“He can unlock those low-blocks single-handedly, so hopefully we can keep him fit and he can play a big part.”

Fit Frimpong changes Liverpool’s attacking options

Slot wants control, but control without penetration can become sterile. Frimpong gives Liverpool a different gear, especially against teams who want to defend on the edge of their box. His ability to carry the ball at speed forces defenders to step out, and when one player steps out, the whole block shifts.

That movement creates space for runners, for cut backs, for midfielders arriving late, and for quick combinations that do not need a perfect through ball. It also makes Liverpool less predictable, which matters when opponents have already decided they are happy with a point.

Selection importance in run-in

Liverpool’s recent unbeaten streak has put them back in touch, but the climb from 4th depends on solving the same problems every contender faces. Low blocks will keep coming, especially at Anfield. If Frimpong stays fit, Liverpool have a specialist tool for those matches, and a player who can turn pressure into goals with one burst of pace.