Unyielding Tactics or Adaptable Strategy?
Adaptability and flexibility should be hallmarks of a great football manager. After all, it’s in the name; managers are meant to manage each situation, adjust to the circumstances, and guide their players in a way that maximizes their strengths while mitigating their weaknesses.
In modern football, however, we have seen a shift away from this essential quality. An epidemic of stubborn managers has taken hold, with many refusing to compromise their tactical ideologies even when it is to the detriment of their teams. These managers treat billion-dollar institutions as personal experiments, using clubs and fans as pawns in their own career trajectories, hoping to bolster their resumes and land bigger opportunities elsewhere.
Why Bryan Mbuemo Is the Perfect Mohamed Salah Replacement for Liverpool
A prime example of this is Vincent Kompany, whose rigid tactical stance saw Burnley relegated from the Premier League, yet somehow, this failure still landed him the Bayern Munich job. Then, there’s Ange Postecoglou, but let’s not even talk about that.
Then, there are managers such as Rúben Amorim, who are so wedded to a specific formation that they refuse to deviate from it, even when it clearly isn’t working for the squad as currently constructed. Week after week, they renew their vows to a rigid tactical setup, stubbornly persisting in the belief that their system will eventually pay off, much like a broken clock that only tells the right time twice a day.
This kind of inflexibility is often mistaken for conviction, but in reality, it is arrogance. A great manager understands that football is unpredictable, and the ability to read a game and make necessary adjustments is often the difference between winning and losing.
Federico Chiesa: Shining the Spotlight on Liverpool’s Italian Recruit
Amidst this era of tactical rigidity, Arne Slot has emerged as a breath of fresh air, proving that adaptability is still one of the most powerful weapons a manager can possess. His ability to read the flow of a match and make real-time adjustments has been instrumental in his rise.
Unlike so many of his contemporaries, Slot does not view tactical systems as religious doctrines that must be followed blindly. Instead, he recognizes that football is fluid and that the best teams are those that can change and evolve based on the demands of each game.
There is a reason Liverpool are sitting comfortably at the top of the Premier League, and it goes beyond Mohamed Salah having an all-time great season. While Salah’s brilliance is undeniable, Liverpool’s dominance this season has been built on the foundation of Slot’s strategic flexibility.
He has not laid out a rigid blueprint for every opponent to study in advance. Unlike many of his peers, he has not provided rival teams with an instruction manual on how to counter Liverpool’s approach. His unpredictability forces opposition managers into reactive positions, unable to anticipate exactly how his team will play from week to week.
This level of tactical fluidity is what separates good managers from great ones. The game of football is constantly evolving, and those who refuse to evolve with it are doomed to be left behind. In an era where too many managers are fixated on their own ideologies, Slot is a reminder that success is often found in the willingness to adapt.
By: Jahvon Barrett / @JahvonBarrett
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Soccrates Images – Getty Images