Arne Slot praises two Liverpool stars as 'work in progress' improving

Liverpool boss Arne Slot discussesd the qualities of Jeremie Frimpong and Curtis Jones ahead of Thursday's Leeds United clash at Anfield, while reflecting on where the Reds struggled against the Yorkshire side earlier this season

Arne Slot has praised Jeremie Frimpong and Curtis Jones(Image: James Gill - Danehouse, Getty Images)

Mohamed Salah, without even touching the ball, became the center of attention during Liverpool's last encounter with Leeds United. However, Arne Slot was equally preoccupied with the events leading up to the Egyptian's fiery post-match comments.

After regaining their lead following a squandered two-goal advantage in their early December trip to Yorkshire, Liverpool's chronic inability to defend set-pieces resulted in a dramatic injury-time equalizer. This sparked a chain of events that cast doubt over Salah's future at Anfield.

Since then, both the winger and Liverpool have pulled back from the precipice, with the Reds rolling up their sleeves and beginning their ascent back up the Premier League table.

Despite ongoing concerns about dead-ball situations — which cost set-piece coach Aaron Briggs his job this week — Liverpool have managed to put together a six-game unbeaten run in domestic competition, propelling them into the Champions League qualification spots.

Leeds, too, has remained undefeated since its clash with Liverpool, with both teams set to ring in the New Year by facing off at Anfield in the reverse fixture on Thursday evening, reports the Liverpool Echo.

So, could Slot handle another rollercoaster ride like the one at Elland Road?

"Yes I could but I don't prefer to cope with another day like that," said the Liverpool manager. "It is part of football, we have to cope with the highs and lows. We have to accept that.

Arne Slot's squad is slowly gelling(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

"What we can take from it is we struggled much more they went started playing 4-3-3 in the last 20 minutes and that is when they scored their goals.

"The first was a VAR intervention, the second a very good goal, the third a set-piece. We struggled when they played four at the back rather than five so I will definitely look at that."

Liverpool, however, has evolved into a different beast since that game. Florian Wirtz is thriving on the left, Curtis Jones is flourishing as one of two defensive midfielders, and Jeremie Frimpong has made a comeback, providing speed down the right wing with assists in back-to-back matches.

Slot acknowledges that both the Dutchman and similarly injury-plagued right-back Conor Bradley have been sorely missed.

"We had to make one change in that position because Trent left," the Liverpool manager admitted. "That was not ideal for me as Trent was so important for this club and was very important for me last season.

Jeremie Frimpong has made something of a comeback(Image: Getty Images)

"When we looked at the options in the market, Jeremie was one of the first we noticed because he has that pace similar to Conor, Milos and Robbo.

"That pace is one thing going forward but also if you face the forwards of Paris Saint-Germain or many Premier League teams with very, very, very fast wingers.

"It is definitely helpful to have them. Unfortunately for them they have not always had the same players playing in front of them. So it is still a work in progress, especially because too many times not all of them have been available and we have had to change because of load management.

"But bit by bit, we see players and the team improving."

Jones is set to begin a fifth successive Premier League game for the first time under Slot, having completed the full 90 minutes in the previous four encounters.

Slot remarked, "One of the main qualities he has is that he always wants to have the ball no matter the situation, 99 times out of 100 that is very positive, sometimes it is smarter to stay away from the ball or not bring yourself into a difficult situation.

"But even if it is a difficult situation, he is able to bring himself out of the situation and play the ball. The most positive thing for him is that he is able to stay fit for four or five games in a row now, and has played 90 minutes every single time.

"That might have to do with his performance but if you look at the bench (against Wolves) there are no midfielders that have played more than 10 Premier League minutes so far.

"That's why I'm so pleased with our current results. If we had dropped points people would have talked about how many players we are missing. But because we have not dropped points no-one is talking about that, maybe because they only talk about how much we spent!"

Bradley is set to compete with Frimpong for the right-back position in the upcoming match against Leeds, although the Dutch player may start on the wing, a position he occupied towards the end of the Wolves game.

Dominik Szoboszlai is poised to rejoin the starting line-up after serving a suspension that kept him out of Saturday's match. Cody Gakpo and Andy Robertson are also vying for a spot as Slot contemplates rotating his squad amidst the busy festive fixture list.