Arne Slot told to use 'unpredictable' solution to inject life into struggling Liverpool attack

Liverpool has steadied the ship in recent weeks but its attack is not firing; Alexander Isak and Mohamed Salah being out hasn't helped, but Arne Slot needs more dynamism

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot during a training session.(Image: Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

Liverpool has turned the tide to an extent in terms of a poor run of results, but there is more work to be done by Arne Slot in the coming weeks after successive draws.

Leeds United and then Fulham found a way of earning a point against Liverpool and on both occasions, the Reds couldn't really argue with the outcome. While Slot's side has stopped losing, it very much looks like a top-four team rather than a title contender in its inconsistency.

"We're too predictable and easy to play against," Reds legend John Aldridge wrote in his Liverpool ECHO column. "Rio Ngumoha is one of those players; if you bring him on for 15 minutes, teams don’t know how to play against him.

"What he does, no one knows. He probably doesn’t even know. He’s unpredictable. He has pace and trickery and can hurt teams.

"Gerrard, Rooney, Owen, Fowler, they all played at that age. Maybe Arne is trying to protect him by using him sparingly.

"We’ve not seen much of him this season, but if you’re good enough, you’re old enough. I would like to see him used more."

Ngumoha has come on in games this season but he hasn't been used much from the start. Having only turned 17 in the summer, he is being carefully managed.

Rio Ngumoha celebrates with Federico Chiesa after scoring their third goal during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Liverpool at St James' Park(Image: AFP)

The upcoming FA Cup tie at home to Barnsley is likely to be a chance for Ngumoha to start and get some sustained minutes, alongside the likes of Trey Nyoni, another young talent who hasn't featured much.

But in terms of the more important fixtures, where there is more pressure to perform, Ngumoha is likely to have to get used to having only cameos here and there.

"I think he has the most minutes of all 17-year-olds in the Premier League, so that tells you how much playing time he gets, how special that already is for a 17-year-old," Slot said last month.

"That also tells you something about his quality, because it’s not completely normal for a 17-year-old already to have as much playing time as he had.

"But it also tells you something about the availability in those areas. For the weekend (against Wolves, which ended up being a 2-1 win), that position’s not my biggest concern, I would say.

"So hopefully Cody [Gakpo] is back, not sure but hopefully, Federico [Chiesa] can play there, Florian [Wirtz] can play there, so if he would be a player in a different position he would probably have even more chance to come in.

"But it’s the same for all the other players. I think in the game against Tottenham I had four under-21 players on the bench, so that increases the chance for him to come in as well. So let’s see."

Liverpool.com says: Ngumoha probably shouldn't be starting every week and he needs to be carefully managed. Perhaps he could get 20 minutes here and there rather than five, though. There is a tricky balance to be struck.