Arne Slot must axe 'special' ace from his Liverpool starting XI after what he did vs Aston Villa - opinion

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Whenever he got on the ball, nobody knew what he was going to do, and there were a fair few times when he ended up giving it away. He was the full-back chosen to help out Liverpool’s attack, with Andy Robertson often tucking in next to Virgil van Dijk to form a back three.

There were, of course, times when the Scotsman pushed forward, but it also felt like he held back quite a lot. This meant that not only was Bradley given his preferred role, but Slot did everything in his power to make it work, and the “special” ace still failed to show that spark he had last season.The fact that Joe Gomez is the only other option Slot has available to him at the moment feels like one of the main reasons Bradley is still starting, but if he continues putting in performances like this, he has to be dropped.Liverpool need Jeremie Frimpong back as soon as possibleLiverpool’s right-back has been a problem area throughout most of their 2025-26 season.

Of the four players, Szoboszlai is the one who arguably performed the best at right-back, but since he’s such a good attacking midfielder, he’s wasted when used there. Although his defensive work isn’t perfect, the attacking prowess he brings to the team is second to none.Photo by Gerrit van Keulen/Soccrates/Getty ImagesHis presence also provides an extra attacking option up front for Liverpool, as he’s often caught overlapping with Mohamed Salah.