Liverpool’s victory over Eintracht Frankfurt has given Arne Slot more options going forward, thanks to his change in team selection.
The Dutchman had been under fire for his lack of creativity when it came to choosing his starting XI, especially with his side unchanged against Manchester United after the loss to Chelsea before the international break.
However, the 5-1 win over Frankfurt in the Champions League would have been a big relief for Slot, considering that it was the most goals his team had scored since the Atletico Madrid win at Anfield.
What it has shown is that there is much more control and added attacking threat because of his changes in the middle of the park, upfront, and in the wing-back areas.
One change he was forced to make was Conor Bradley coming on for Jeremie Frimpong as the Dutch international found himself with what appeared to be a hamstring injury early in the first half.
Conor Bradley should be more attacking
While it was a shame to see Frimpong exit early after showing some early positive signs, when Bradley joined the game, he showed a side to his game that has been missing since the start of the season.
He was still finding it tricky in the backline, but that is more down to the defensive shape and balance being off; instead, it was going forward where he had his biggest successes.
READ MORE: Curtis Jones can be Arne Slot’s secret weapon in getting Liverpool back on track this season
Twice during the game, the Northern Irishman found himself in the box with his first header shifted away by Michael Zetterer and his second just scratching the post.
His ability to drift into that space inside the box to try and force something of his own was a perfect encapsulation of what he has needed to do this season.
When Bradley has found himself playing with Mohamed Salah, the 22-year-old seems almost hesitant to overlap or force his way into the box.
But here he showed something different, it is not like a Trent Alexander-Arnold peppering balls into the box from any angle, although it is an aggressive attacking approach that absolutely works for the young full-back.
Allowing him more freedom down the right flank could open up such an important new opportunity to exploit teams in a way that may catch them off guard.
Conor Bradley will be looking forward to the next Champions League clash
The next game in this season’s European competition is only two weeks away, and Anfield will need to be in its best voice as usual when Real Madrid come to town.
Fortunately, Bradley was not booked in last night’s game in Germany, and that means he will be available for the Madrid game, which is important given how he played last year.
His performance against Los Blancos and that Kylian Mbappe tackle was a real star-making display, which made the fans love him even more.
Any replication of that would be the perfect way to kick on from his decent performance against Frankfurt.
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