Flynnon, is he playing four defenders? Or is Slott changing his team for him?

Liverpool didn't take too long to find Arnold's "successor". After a great three and a half years at Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, Flynnon, 24, completed a transfer to Anfield. Under the leadership of the Reds' former midfielder Xavi Alonso, he helped Leverkusen to complete the domestic double championship and remain unbeaten feat last season (2023/24).

Liverpool activated his €35 million termination clause to sign him, which is a great price considering that he has been one of the best players in the same position in the past two years or so. However, where exactly does he play? How will he integrate into Slott's tactical system?

Surface misfit?

At first glance, Flynnon does not seem to fit Slott's preferred four-back system. In Alonso's three-center-back system, he is like a fish in water as an invasive wingback (wingback), and his role is more like a winger than a defender. In fact, his average position last season was much more similar to Salah than to Arnold.

Flynnon Thermal Sound

Salah Thermal Sound

Although Arnold's defensive ability has been frequently discussed during his eight years with Liverpool's first team, the 26-year-old did take on a deeper defensive role than Klopp's time this season, as Slot values ​​defensive stability rather than continuous side-sliding.

And one of Flynnon's most eye-catching traits is his ability to get ahead. He has lightning speed and does not hesitate to use it. In the Bundesliga this season, he ranked second in the number of sprints. Flynnon's ability to dribble the ball on the right has been crucial to Alonso's tactics over the past two seasons, which has led him to contribute considerable amounts of goal statistics from the wingback position: he has contributed 19 goals and 24 assists in various events since the beginning of the 2023/24 season.

Flynnon did not pass a lot, mainly by running propulsion

Arnold's pass is more exciting and richer, according to Opta data, last season, Flynnon completed 109 long-distance propulsions (referring to the player moving forward at least 10 meters), while Arnold only completed 63 times in the Premier League. But the speed that the English lacked may be compensated by his broad passing vision, which Flynnpon could not match exactly.

is not a direct counter-replacement

It is obvious that Flynnon replaces Arnold, not a "tie substitute" in the right back position. Looking at Flynnon's characteristics, he looks more like a reinforcement in the right winger position prepared for Salah. However, Flynnon is not the kind of winger who gradually adapts to the defensive position like Cuadrado. He mostly served as a full-back in the four-back system during his early career at the Celtics and Manchester City youth training camps.

Although his peak years at Leverkusen were spent at the wingback position, he mainly played right-back in his first two seasons at Leverkusen. During that time, he averaged 1.6 steals and 0.6 interceptions per game, and regained the ball 4.8 times per game. He is a capable defender, which is why his arrival is unlikely to trigger a drastic change in the Slot system.

The role positioning at the beginning of the season is questionable, however, considering that he has played almost fixed winger positions in the club and national team recently, it is still questionable whether he will be directly placed in Slott's four-back defense line. We may see him as Arnold's long-term substitute Bradley's deputy early in the new season.

After Arnold leaves the team, 21-year-old Bradley will face fierce competition if he wants to become Liverpool's real starting right-back. But he should not regard Flynnon's franchise as a denial of his ability. For teams that are determined to compete for the championship, high-quality competition and lineup depth are healthy. The club clearly trusted him and had just renewed a four-year contract with him.

This Northern Ireland player is a more natural and more defensive right-back than Flynnon. He is familiar with Slot's system and may be the first choice at the beginning of the season, while Flynnon adapts to the new environment during this period. At Liverpool, it is not uncommon for future core players to play at Anfield early in their career, and players like Robertson and Fabinho also took months to win regular starting positions under Klopp. Given the obvious style conflict, it remains to be seen whether Slott will adopt a similar strategy to allow Flynnon to gradually adapt.

Although the transfer fee obviously does not represent everything, Flynnon's value hardly meets the "plug and play main force". The price of 35 million euros is definitely clear when he joins the game that he can't guarantee his playing time. So he may eventually start the season with a rotational support role from Bradley and Salah, with the goal of locking in the right-back position in the future.

Slott's "Turning stones into gold"?

Analyzing Slotte's system and looking back at Flynnon's most shining position in the past two years, he seems to be in a "unresolved" state. However, Slott has proven his "transformation magic" in his early games at Liverpool. He reshaped the young, offensively active Herafenberg as one of the world's best defensive midfield organizers, and the process was extraordinary. As Flynn Pon's national teammate and close friend, Herafenberg will undoubtedly convey to Flynn Pon the "miracle" that Slot, who is also the Dutch, can create.

Conclusion: Trust management

Although questions about Flynnpoon's role remain, we should expect the answer to be revealed soon. Liverpool's recent transfer operations are almost perfect, and Richard Hughes and Edwards seem to be confident. Whether there will be unexpected tactical adjustments or not, Liverpool must have a clear plan for how to shape Flynn Poon into the players they need on the road to defending the Premier League championship.