Xiaoba Yiyanjia | Build a "Fantastic Four" in the front line? Will Liverpool s idea work

If Liverpool really signs Isaac, then they have four players on the front line with a net worth of 100 million yuan (nearly 100 million yuan, or before it reaches 100 million yuan). How should Slot use these four players well and exert their greatest power? The Athletic author Andy Jones discussed it.

Marvel's new work "Fantastic Four" was released last month, and Liverpool's signing division, led by Edwards and Richard Hughes, also seemed to have drawn inspiration from it.

Wilz and Ekitic have transferred from the Bundesliga, spending a total of about £200 million, adding a new dimension to Liverpool's offense. Salah also renewed his contract with Liverpool at the end of last season. He will continue to be the core of the team and play at Anfield for two years.

However, their signings seem to be not over yet. Newcastle's Isaac remains the top priority. Although TA said that a formal offer from Liverpool has been rejected by Newcastle, Ithaca has already made it clear that it hopes to leave this summer.

Imagine the scenes of Salah, Werz, Ekitic and Isaac playing together, which is enough to make Liverpool fans salivate and make the opponent frightened. But this is not a natural frontcourt quadron, as it nominally contains a No. 10 player (Wilz), a right winger (Salah) and two No. 9 players (Isaac and Ekitic).

So, although it looks very powerful on paper, can these four people really appear together?

How do they play a role in the existing system?

No doubt every player has enough talent to succeed at Anfield. Only Ekitic can be seen as a potential stock, rather than a plug-and-play elite genius, although 22-year-old Wiltz is younger than the 23-year-old Frenchman.

Salah has proven that he can perform well no matter who partnered with him in the forward trio. From Firmino and Mane to Dias and Garkepo, the Egyptian international has always maintained the momentum of goals and assists.

After 33, he showed no signs of slowing down. Thanks to Wilz's creativity behind him and his partner with a No. 9 player who can shoot far more than just a goal.

Salah may not be able to replicate last season's goal statistics, especially because he will miss some of Liverpool's 25/26 season games due to his participation in the African Cup of Nations, and also because goals may be distributed more evenly if he has a productive center around him.

Wilz's strength is unquestionable. No matter where he plays on the court, he seems to be able to create opportunities. And he has shown an instinct: swim into the open area, catch the ball and give teammates precise passes to create good scoring opportunities.

In the warm-up match against Stoke City 5-0, he broke into the gap between the midfield and the defense and sent the ball to Sobosloy. Although an opponent's slippery tackle prevented Sobosloy from shooting, the ball fell to Nunes to complete the goal. Whether it is Ekitic or Isaac, they will probably look forward to such an opportunity.

He also assisted 16-year-old winger Engumoha, this time by slowing down the pace and controlling the game. He tempted Stoke's defense to retreat after a two-pass and one-on-one match with Jones, then nudged the ball to Ngumoha.

Wilz maintained his level in Hong Kong's match against Milan, although Liverpool lost 2-4. But here, a similar fit to the first example almost assists Elliott. If he had players like Isaac or Ekitic around him at that time, the result might be more positive.

Wilz and Salah quickly established a tacit understanding. During the preseason, the two were photographed talking and laughing, and this bond had already appeared on the court. In this example, they seem to enjoy passing the ball to each other too much.

The front four consists of Isaac, Ekitic, Salah and Werz, plus Garkepo on the left side, looks like Slot's ideal balanced configuration.

The question is who will be substitute for Isaac or Ekitic. If the Swedes eventually join at a price of 120 million pounds or more that could set a record-breaking UK transfer fee, he will undoubtedly become the first choice. Isaac played on the left side when he was partnering with Wilson at Newcastle, but his influence there was far less than when he was a single arrow. Liverpool is unlikely to spend huge sums of money to introduce Isaac, but let him play a position he is not good at.

This is why Ekitic is probably the most critical piece of the puzzle. Liverpool is not spending £69 million on initial transfer fees just to own one of the most expensive substitutes in football. During the inspection, his ability to be competent for one of the single center, two forwards or left wingers is part of his appeal. If Isaac joins, his pick in the center position will drop to second.

Ekitic's technical characteristics - an elegant ball holder who likes to swim to the left rib area to create opportunities for others - show that he is competent on the left side. It should not be forgotten that Liverpool's winger was the team's main source of scoring threats last season. However, there is little evidence to support Ekitic as the starting position of the left winger. According to German Transfer data, he has only played four adult team games as a left winger in his career, and has never had such experience since 2021.

Isaac's health may be a factor. Newcastle played in 40 games last time in the 23/24 season of the Champions League, but was absent due to a groin injury. Of his 78 Premier League starts, 43 were replaced. So, as Ekitic adapts to the Premier League, he will get frequent playing time – even if not as much as expected.

Slott's use of Garkepo and Dias (left winger), Robertson and Zimikas (left back), Sobosloy and Jones (center forward) in the first half of last season showed that he would rotate when there were two players he trusted at a certain position.. Will Slot change the array?

A more radical plan to get four people present at the same time is to have Isaac and Ekitic partner with two forwards, which seems to be Newcastle’s initial plan two weeks ago.

Such changes may require Werz to move to the left and Salah stay on the right to form a 4-2-2-2-2 system. Speaking about the left-hand side choice, Slott mentioned Wilz and Ngumoha as replacements for Gakpo – but did not mention Ekitic.

The former Frankfurt forward is no stranger to the double striker system, and he performed well in the first half of last season when he partnered with Marmush. They support and benefit from each other through their unball runs and creativity.

"I will do what the coach asks me to do, but I like to try everything," Ekitic told Liverpool official website. "I can't just define myself as a striker who ends up (likes): I like to participate in games, I like to integrate into games (and) create opportunities. I can play single striker and I like to partner with another striker. You need to adapt."

Partner relationships often come from complementarity among players. This is not the case with Isaac and Ekitic, because their styles are very similar. This is not to say that partnering doesn't work, but they may take up space with each other in the early stages.

Slot pursues fluency, so it can be imagined that in the 4-2-2-2 system, Werz will move to the middle, while Ekitic will jump forward in the ribs; or Ekitic will retreat deeper and attack in the middle, which is also one of his advantages.

Gakbo also has a say in this. Last season, he became the second scorer in Liverpool with 19 goals in various competitions. The 26-year-old started the preseason with a sharp start, scoring against Preston and Milan. How does the

defensive end work?

Wilz's No. 10 position has raised questions: Who will assume some of the running responsibilities of Salah (when there is no ball)? Not to mention the situation under the dual striker system. This may put a lot of pressure on the double back midfielder composed of Heraffenberg and McAllister, leaving them with more room to cover.

Sobosloy took on a lot of off-ball tasks last season, and against Yokohama Mariners, he moved to the right in the two drag-back midfielders, while Heravenberg moved to the left. All of this has not yet been considered.

Slott has shown tactical wisdom in his first season at Liverpool. Faced with a significantly changed lineup, he needs to display this wisdom again to stabilize the team as soon as possible, and ensure that he will not leave people with the impression of "square and round" and rigid copying.