How to Build a Squad, LFC Edition

ARTICLE BY MATTY

As rumors slowly become reality and the 2025/26 Liverpool squad gets sorted out, it’s as close to an ideal squad as one can build, at both the macro and micro level. There’s a core of world class superstars, yet also opportunity for youth to break through and impress. There’s role players who help with team morale and don’t complain about game time, yet as seen by Federico Chiesa’s example can come on and change a game. There’s a strong veteran leadership group, yet infrastructure and support from both players and tactics to help insulate against the aging curve of the two older players still getting major game time, players still at the peak of their powers and among the best in the world: Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. Liverpool have become more skilled, versatile, younger, taller and better built to handle a grueling 60-plus game season. If they complete the summer rebuild with the players they’ve been heavily linked to for months, this squad should have everything it needs to win trophies.

Starting with the goalkeeper position, Alisson in my eyes is still the best all-around goalkeeper in the world. Nobody combines shot-stopping and quality distribution quite like our number one, who’s absolutely elite at both and has been for a long time now. However, the two new backups to Alisson for this upcoming season highlight efficient squad planning. Freddie Woodman is a fine third choice keeper, known for being a good presence in the locker room and also has the benefit of being homegrown. After we gave Caoimhin Kelleher the much deserved opportunity to spend the prime of his career as a number one keeper, it was important to make sure we replaced one homegrown player with another. I once referred to Adrian being the third choice keeper as “the certified party starter”. Woodman will fill that role for the club while also filling the important homegrown quota. As for Giorgi Mamardashvili (I’ll just call him by his first name from now on), right now he’s the ideal backup keeper. He’s young, got loads of potential, he’s willing to stay and learn from the best and develop his game to eventually become the best. Alisson’s contract runs up in two years, by that time Giorgi will be in his prime and ready to be counted among the world’s best. About as promising of a succession plan as one can find.

In the center of the defense corps there’s a lot of moving parts, which means there will be some growing pains, especially as Slot also seems to have shifted the tactics to be more attack-minded. However, the two bedrocks of last season’s successful defensive system are still in place. Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate. Virgil is still the best CB in the world, even if his recent performances suggest otherwise. Konate is still one of the best younger CBs in the world, even if his recent performance suggests he’s got his head turned by Madrid, PSG, or whoever is the en vogue club right now. Understanding the situation with both of them, however, Liverpool has begun to take action at the position to ensure there’s a succession plan for both of them. In the short term, Marc Guehi signing for Liverpool would provide a stylistic difference at the position that could very well be needed. He provides someone who can play alongside either Konate or Virgil right away, and he’s also young enough to be a stalwart in the team for the next five years at least. As for Giovanni Leoni, he’s more of a long-term succession plan for Virgil. Similar size, similar speed, Leoni modeled his game off of his idol, who is now his mentor and captain. Leoni could play for a decade in this team. Buying him now at his age also means he will be registered as a homegrown player when he turns 21 and has to be registered. Having Joe Gomez as a utility player in the back line also helps, even if he’s only available for five games a season. This is why we will hopefully have five CBs, everyone is in their proper place in the squad if that happens.

As for the fullbacks, I view this position as one of the strongest in the team. I could definitely see Slot subbing off both fullbacks at the hour mark fairly often, but hopefully we’d have Conor Bradley subbing in for Jeremie Frimpong instead of Wataru Endo. I also envision a scenario where each fullback gets a decent amount of game time. I suspect Andy Robertson will get a good amount of game time early as Milos Kerkez adjusts to a new team and still looks like a diamond in need of a bit more polish. Meanwhile, Jeremie Frimpong is an attacking dynamo from the right flank, but is unfortunately very small and can be bullied rather easily, even if his work rate and effort can never be questioned (unlike the guy he replaced, but I digress). I think Conor Bradley will be an important player this season, and I actually see a scenario where he starts the majority of games. He has an established connection with Mo Salah already, he does everything a fullback in Slot’s system needs to do, and he offers more size and skill in defending compared to Frimpong. Either way, finding a successor for Robertson was a huge deal for Liverpool this summer, and it allows Robertson to get more rest and play with his hair on fire when he does get minutes. Having Frimpong being such a versatile asset also means that Bradley isn’t really blocked from development either. Bradley and Frimpong are both homegrown as well, always a benefit. It’s a very smart plan, something that will be said many times in discussing this team.

In the deeper midfield, there are many similar faces and in some ways an embarrassment of riches. However, there are still opportunities for young players to fill a potentially big void in the team. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister are the proverbial starters in a midfield built on youth, creativity and control. Gravenberch’s importance in particular has been highlighted a lot in the past week, as the defense has looked shaky without his positional awareness and his skill set. Gravenberch being able to carry the ball from deeper positions takes a lot of pressure off of Konate in the build-up (which is why Guehi having a similar skill set to Gravenberch excites me but I digress). Gravenberch’s ability to understand where he needs to be and keep the ball ticking over in possession while ensuring the opposition doesn’t get close to goal is also an incredible asset, especially when paired with someone similarly skilled in this way like Mac Allister.

Behind these two, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones have been the backups with Wataru Endo being the designated destroyer whose only concern is to keep a lead. However, Szoboszlai’s transition into a deeper midfield role hasn’t been seamless, while Slot doesn’t seem to trust Endo outside of his designated role. It would’ve been nice if the move last summer for Martin Zubimendi had worked out. But this is where two young players in particular could seize a role in the first team: Stefan Bajcetic and James McConnell. I get the sense only one of them will be in the first team by the end of the transfer window, with Bajcetic possibly being sold and McConnell possibly being loaned out. However, both of them have skill sets somewhat similar to Gravenberch, who doesn’t really have much of a backup besides Endo. There’s a runway for either of them to step up and make an impact and fill in the only minor hole this squad will have once Guehi and Isak are likely signed. Keeping the pathway open for the best youth talent and insulating them from playing too much, too soon is the ideal way to develop young talent and bring them into the first team.

Further ahead in the midfield, it’s pretty cut and dried. Florian Wirtz, the best chance creator in Europe at the age of 21 last season, is the jewel in the crown of Slot’s Liverpool project. Like Leoni and Rio Ngumoha, Wirtz is simply ridiculously good for his age, and it excites me that Liverpool are truly going for the best of the best in every age range as they build this team for now and for the future. His backup will be Dominik Szoboszlai, who sacrifices end product at the position in exchange for having three lungs and masterfully leading the press from the front. Both players are young, both bring different skill sets to the position that are useful, and Szoboszlai’s versatility across the midfield could allow the talented young Trey Nyoni, whom Slot took a particular interest in last season, to get minutes in cup games and continue to develop into a first team option.

As for the attack, Hugo Ekitike was someone I really wanted Liverpool to sign, and I haven’t felt that way about a particular player for a while now. He’s versatile, I’d guess he gets loads of game time rotating with Gakpo on the left or Isak at the striker position. He has a skill set similar to Diaz and Firmino, which is why I thought he’d be a replacement for Diaz and allow us to still get Isak. Having an attack that offers variation in how each individual player looks to score is important considering there are many different types of teams we’ll face throughout the course of a season. Having multiple options on the left wing allows for the latest big name from the youth academy, Rio, to develop at his own pace and be given game time without putting too much of a burden on his shoulders. Having two world class strikers provides both variation in how the team can line up and a way to keep them both healthy and at full power over the course of a long season. Mohamed Salah still looks as good as ever, although I suspect the tragedy of losing Diogo Jota is hitting him hard, as is everybody else in the team. Having Federico Chiesa as his backup and as a versatile forward who can cover for anyone in the forward line is quite useful. His bubbly personality helps fill the void left by Jota’s tragic passing, and keeping Chiesa also means an easier settling process for Leoni. I think his game winning goal confirms that he should be a part of the plan this season, playing the role of squad depth about as well as anyone can.

In general, this Liverpool team should be young, fast and hungry to win more when everything settles. Stocked with a world class core, strong veteran depth, and youth talent being given opportunities, it is a squad that is well balanced, built not just to win this year but to win over the next few years. There’s a reason that every signing Liverpool has made and will make has been for a player either in their prime or just entering it.