With Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah celebrating their birthdays in the summer, Aaron Cutler asks Arne Slot how he can get the most out of them into their 30s.
International competitions are tough in general, but Euro 2024 felt particularly tough.
A football ‘festival’ sorely lacking in excitement, energy and quality seemed like too much of a leap forward for many teams and footballers who failed to perform.
Ollie Watkins’ last-minute winner to send England into the final was a rare highlight and one that looked set to become a summer icon.
In fact, if Gareth Southgate’s men had achieved the most unexpected (and arguably undeserved) victory of all time, the goal would have been ‘Wonderwall‘. Small mercy.
But as the Aston Villa striker turned to celebrate, behind him stood a weary, irritated and weary Van Dijk, looking dejected.
future plan
The Netherlands captain’s post-match comments following that semi-final caused some concern among Liverpool supporters, and he was as vocal in his interview as he was in his defence.
He said frankly: “I will think carefully about what I want to do this summer, both at club level and as an international player. After a season like this, with all the things that have happened, I am emotional at the end because I know it is over.”
This quote can be interpreted in many ways.
The more mischievous among us will argue that his reference to a ‘club’ hints at an uncertain future, underlined by the absence of a contract extension.
But Van Dijk, who turns 33 this month, is likely to be considering retirement from international football.
The late and heartbreaking Euro exit will be painfully raw for weeks to come. Virgil is experienced enough not to make hasty decisions, but he sounds like a man accepting his footballing demise, describing 2023/24 as “a very, very, very long year, a difficult year”.
They won’t say it publicly, but Liverpool will be secretly hoping Sunday will be the day their captain plays his farewell game for the national team.
That’s because one of the biggest challenges Ane Slot will face this first season is managing the playing time of two high-profile players.
Names on team roster
The club has managed to reduce the average age of its squad over the past 18 months, with weary old guard leaving and new arrivals like Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch bringing new energy.
But the team relied heavily on Van Dijk and Salah last season, particularly before the latter left for the Confederation of African Football.
For context, the captain has the most appearances of any Liverpool player, totalling 4,072 minutes, or 5,395 minutes including international time.
And only four players have appeared in more games than Salah, with 3,132 appearances.
The most important thing is that both players have found some playing time.
In contrast to Champions League football, Europa League has allowed Jurgen Klopp to rest his side more than he has in previous years. Indeed, Van Dijk only played in half of Liverpool’s 10 European games last season, starting three.
Salah has been run out in nine of those games, but has only started in four.
Don’t get me wrong, the break has been a huge help to both players, especially Van Dijk, who has found his best form with the occasional break in his schedule.
We won’t have that luxury next season.
Advantages of Rotation
It remains to be seen how Slots will approach domestic cup competitions, but there is no room for experimentation in Europe’s top leagues.
Additionally, the changing format of the Champions League will see additional matches included, with each team initially playing eight matches instead of six, requiring match time management.
It’s a tough conversation, especially for a new manager or coach, because most of them call him. Slot will have to convince two Liverpool legends who are used to starting every Premier League and Champions League game of the benefits of rotation.
The Dutch were able to compare their performance between August and February of last season with their performance on the final day of the season.
Both were out of form due to tired legs, but Salah’s form was much more noticeable. It’s a huge relief to know that he won’t be competing in the Olympics this summer.
As the second leg of the Champions League group stage begins, Liverpool face an away game against Wolves (September 28), a European tie (October 1/2) and then an away game against Crystal Palace (October 5).
It’s not impossible, but it’s certainly unrealistic to think Van Dijk could start all three games without risking fitness or injury.
The third leg comes between Chelsea (home) and Arsenal (away), while the fourth is sandwiched between a tricky-looking game against Brighton and Aston Villa, both at home.
The Reds face a ten-day fixture list at the end of November, which includes Champions League action (November 26/27), before facing Manchester City at Anfield (November 30), Newcastle at St James’ Park (December 4) and a final, fiercely contested derby at Goodison Park (December 7).
Liverpool have been marathon runners for eight years, but they may have to play some games without Van Dijk and Salah.
Andy Robertson is no different. He is a player who has built a reputation for his ability to turn defence into attack and his incredible running ability, but he is now well into his 30s.
The injured list will be crucial.
Rotation itself depends on several variables, the most important of which is fitness. Resting a star player is only possible when he is relatively fit, and Liverpool’s injury record last season was 18 points.
The appointment of Reuben Peters as head physical performance coach is expected to buck this trend.
The 32-year-old, who boasts a degree in sports science, is a big proponent of something called ‘periodisation’, which involves calculating how intensely and for how long an individual should train at different points in the season.
The session at Feyenoord will be based on the morning briefing prepared by Peters and will run for exactly the time he recommended, not a second longer.
Slot has huge faith in the Belgian, and for good reason. Feyenoord’s injury record has been the envy of the Eredivisie, with player availability over 90% for three seasons.
In contrast, only Spurs suffered more first-team injuries than Liverpool last season. It is no surprise that Arne has made Peeters one of his first appointments in the backroom team. He will be a key figure for a new-look Liverpool side that still relies on some experienced faces.
And as Van Dijk takes a belated vacation to heal his wounds and think about the future, he will be pondering how he can live again and achieve more.
Ironically, doing less may be the answer.
