Liverpool manager Arne Slot has admitted that he is open to the prospect of utilizing a 4-4-2 formation to accommodate both Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitiké, though he stressed it would only be under specific circumstances.
The arrival of Isak from Newcastle United for a British record £125 million fee was the culmination of a months-long saga that included a player strike. However, the fine start to the season from fellow forward Hugo Ekitiké doesn’t exactly have the makings of a simple backup striker, creating a tactical question for the manager. While Slot has previously suggested shunting the Frenchman to the left wing, the prospect of a more traditional two-striker system was raised for the first time.
“I consider [playing both together] because you consider many things,” Slot told the media ahead of Saturday’s Merseyside derby against Everton. “It depends on how well they are doing.”
“If both in best form of their life, you consider it more but it’s also clear we have a 4-3-3 structure, playing with three midfielders, but it has also happened quite a lot that we end the game with two No. 9s. Hugo can also play off the left, different to Cody [Gakpo] and Rio [Ngumoha],” he elaborated.
“That’s the good thing about our squad, we have multiple options but first of all they all have to stay fit. If some aren’t fit, we might have to use them both in a 4-4-2. That all depends on form and how many players are available.”
Few elite modern teams operate with two traditional No. 9s anymore, given the lack of midfield coverage it affords—a difficulty Manchester United has often demonstrated. While Serie A champions Inter offer a rare exception with their lethal tandem of Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martínez, their top-heavy pairing is balanced by a midfield three in a 3-5-2 system, a formation Slot has never shown a willingness to deploy at Anfield.
Will Isak start against Everton?
A grand tactical shift is almost certainly not on the cards for this weekend’s derby. In the immediate question of Isak or Ekitiké, Slot remained defiantly tight-lipped. “I don’t think I tell the media a lot the day before a game,” he fired back.
However, he did offer a significant hint about Isak’s condition following his midweek debut. “What I do know is that Alex did feel his body more than ever before after the 60 minutes he played [against Atlético Madrid on Wednesday],” Slot admitted. “Let’s see how he has recovered today, and then we will think about the lineup.”
Given the immense care Liverpool has taken regarding Isak’s reintegration into match action after a summer spent in self-imposed exile, it seems incredibly unlikely that Slot will force his most expensive asset to start two games in the space of less than 65 hours. A start for Ekitiké seems the more probable outcome.