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What Needs to Change Under Arne Slot

Liverpool have made a brilliant start to the campaign under their new head coach. However, not everything has been perfect, and you wouldn’t expect things to be.

Slot is still getting started in his role. He is building his own team while very much using the elements left over from Jurgen Klopp’s era.

One area where the Dutchman should be looking to enhance the squad is when it comes to Liverpool’s effectiveness in front of goal.

Liverpool have created 28 big chances in the Premier League this season but they have missed 17 of those big chances putting away just 11. That’s a 39% success rate.

Manchester City on the other hand have created 20 big chances and put away 10 of those and therefore have a 50% success rate.

That 11% gap between Manchester City is the gap Slot will need to bridge if he wants Liverpool to be a Premier League title winning team.

Photo: IMAGO

Why Omar Marmoush Can Help Liverpool Bridge The 11% Gap

That gap in finishing was evident last season as well. Liverpool accumulated the highest xG in the Premier League (87.8) but underperformed their expected goals and ranked just third for overall goals scored (86).

The difference then was that while Arsenal and Manchester City both massively over-performed their xG, Liverpool underperformed it.

If Liverpool want to be up there with their rivals at the very top of the league, they will need to be better at finishing their chances.

And for that, Slot may just need an effective finisher who can reliable and consistently make an impact in front of goal.

One player who could be capable of doing exactly that is Omar Marmoush. The Egyptian striker has been on Liverpool’s radar since last season and the reason for that has a lot to do with the fact that the numbers would suggest his an above average finisher.

As per FBref in the last calendar year Marmoush has over-performed his xG by 0.11 per 90 in all competitions for Frankfurt.

He also ranked among the top 10 forwards as per Wyscout for goal conversion at 17.64% – higher than Salah’s average in the Premier League, which was 15.65%.

Only Jota averaged a higher conversion rate (25.64%) from Liverpool’s attackers last season but albeit while using a much smaller sample – playing around 1200 minutes less than Marmoush.

This season Marmoush’s effiency in front of goal – albeit again from a small sample – has got even better. He currently averages a 30.76% goal conversion rate which makes him the best finisher in the Bundesliga this season.

Marmoush is simply very good at putting himself in goal-scoring situations and then also effective at putting those chances away.

Take a look at his shot map below and you will see a striker who mostly takes shots from dangerous territories.

Why Marmoush is More Than Just a Finisher

It’s one thing being a great goal-scorer, but to suit Liverpool’s system you need to be more than that.

Slot places a great demand on his strikers being able press opposition defenders effectively from the front.

A Liverpool forward’s off the ball work has to be just as effective as what they do with the ball when they are in possession.

Not only is Marmoush fast clocking in a top speed of 35km/h this season – he also covers a lot of ground and isn’t afraid to participate in a high volume of duels.

This season in the Bundesliga he ranks among the top five strikers for defensive duels per 90 (2.83). He also averages the third most counter-pressing sprints per 90 (20.87) behind only the RB Leipzig duo of Benjamin Sesko (21.28) and Lois Openda (22.37).

So in terms of the physical metrics the Egyptian is definitely equipped to play Slot’s style of football.

Marmoush’s Impressive Creative Numbers

As well as being a brilliant finisher, Marmoush contributes so much more than just being a pure finisher in attack.

He gets involved in the build-up, drops deep and will look to take players on as well. This season he has averaged 5.83 dribbles per 90 – that’s more than Luis Diaz (5.57 per 90).

And Marmoush creates things as well.

This season he has the highest expected assists (0.56 per 90) in the entire league above Michael Olise (0.49 per 90).

Last season, he averaged 0.18 assists per 90, which still ranked him in the top 10 among forwards.

The good things about him is that he has an abundance of energy and speed so he can be deployed out wide predominantly on the left-wing because he is right-footed but he has also played on the right wing in the past.

Undoubtedly, under Slot, he would be best suited to a number nine role.

Linking up with Liverpool’s wingers and finding space inside the box to put the Reds’ chances away – which is where he is needed the most at the moment.

But it does help to know that should the need arise Slot can rely on him to play other roles, too.

Looking at all the data, from his versatility to his physical and finishing attributes, there are few players on the market who are as suited for this Liverpool team under Slot.

Liverpool will have to find a space for him among the club’s attacking options and may even need to sacrifice someone else in order to bring the Egyptian in.

However, that might be the price needed to pay to bridge the gap between Manchester City.

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