Excl: “Big Bonus For Liverpool…” – Steve McMahon On ‘Revelation’ Under Arne Slot | OneFootball

Liverpool return to domestic action top of the Premier League and Champions League with a trip to Southampton following a dream start to life at Anfield for Arne Slot.

The Reds have been beholden to key men such as Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and the brilliance of deputy goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher, however, it’s the midfield department that has perhaps been purring most of all with Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones particularly impressing.

Despite missing out on big money targets in recent transfer windows, the current incumbents are doing themselves justice and then some as Slot’s new-look outfit go from strength to strength.

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Dan caught up with a former member of a successful Liverpool midfield, Steve McMahon, who himself scored 50 goals in 277 appearances for the red half of Merseyside, lifting three league titles and two FA Cups on the way.

On Arne Slot’s system: “He likes the two holding midfield players still. It’s different as you know. He seems to, well he has changed, not seems to. All of a sudden everybody’s going berserk about Gravenberch and rightly so, he’s had a decent season but only because he’s played in his right position and Arne Slot obviously knew him being Dutch so he knew what his assets were and what his best position was and he’s thriving.

“I always thought Mac Allister wasn’t a number 10, he could play both McAlister. He wasn’t a number six either, so he’s a different kind of midfield player and Gravenberch certainly wasn’t a holding midfield player. So he’s got the balance right in midfield.

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On Curtis Jones: “The big bonus for Liverpool I think has been Curtis Jones. He has been a revelation since Arne Slot came in and I actually think it’s the freedom for him getting forward. He’s probably one of the few midfield players who gets beyond the strikers that I’ve seen in current matches which is brilliant if you get beyond the strikers you’ve got a chance of scoring goals and it takes the pressure off the strikers and he’s done that very well and subsequently, he’s got an England set up and he’s taking that chance as well.

“I was always told that you’re a midfield player, you’re allowed to defend and you’re allowed to score goals and I think that’s been lacking over the past few seasons at Liverpool because you need to sort of add to the goal teller, you can’t keep relying on Salah and Diaz and Nunez but you can’t just keep doing that.”

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On Arne Slot: “I think he’s done exceptionally well, big shoes and all that kind of stuff that people would be saying, he’s done that, he’s put his own stamp on it. The biggest compliment I can pay is that the best thing he’s done for Liverpool is nothing. I say nothing in respect that he hasn’t changed the squad, he hasn’t gone out and bought a big signing or two big signings, he hasn’t let anyone go, he’s realised that he’s got a really good squad. He’s worked with it. He’s gotten the best out of the players like Gravenberch as you say, he knows his style of play, he’s gotten the best out of Curtis Jones, he’s got a dilemma as well and he certainly acted on it with Robbo, the left back, so that’s a position he’s looking at, you can see that and he takes no prisoners, he’s not frightened to bring Trent off and he’ll do it in a game if he feels that’s the way to do it.

“You can see he’s not a ranting raver is he, he’s not jumping on a touchline up and down pumping his chest and doing all that, he seems calm and calculated and very methodical and it’s good to watch.”

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Whilst the likes of Salah, Nunez, Gakpo, Diaz and Jota may continue to take many of the plaudits, a fully functioning midfield will be pivotal if Liverpool are going to maintain their current form between now and the end of the campaign.

With the ever-dangerous Harvey Elliott returning to the fold, a perhaps underused Watar Endo waiting in the wings, Tyler Morton still available to call upon and the exciting Trey Nyoni still showing glimpses of his potential, the midfield department appears well stocked for the long haul.