Emile Heskey: Slot Must Rebuild Liverpool’s Spine to Defend Premier League Crown

By Jack Cranmer

Liverpool enters its second season under Arne Slot carrying the weight of expectation after last season’s Premier League triumph. 

Yet the start of this campaign has revealed vulnerabilities, particularly in defence, where stoppage-time goals have cost the Reds in consecutive matches. 

Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey believes Slot’s focus must be on restoring defensive solidity, ensuring the team doesn’t trade last season’s success for instability this time around.

The former Reds striker said to Pundit Arena: “Defensively, he wants to get things solid again, Konaté and Van Dijk were solid last season, but it just looks a little bit jaded. Obviously with the full-backs, Trent's not there anymore, Frimpong and Kerkez are just bedding in. 

“Slot is trying to find that match that Robertson, Van Dijk, Konaté and Trent had. They were solid and he’s got to try and find that again. It might not look the same, but it's got to have some sort of solidity to it.”

Even champions are vulnerable when the spine of the team changes, even if on paper, it looks to be a change that upgrades the side. 

Slot faces the delicate task of blending new, expensive, personnel with proven, league winning performers to recreate a defensive structure capable of sustaining a title challenge. Heskey underscores a tactical truth: without a secure foundation, even Liverpool’s most fluid attacking patterns risk collapse.

While stabilising the defence is crucial, Heskey also sees room for tactical experimentation in attack. Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, Liverpool’s two high-profile summer recruits up top, have yet to start together, but there is potential in combining them to stretch opposition lines and create space for overlapping full-backs.

“If you're talking about out-and-out strikers, I’d rather have Isak starting than Ekitike because I've seen him do it before,” Heskey notes. “Don’t get me wrong, I think Ekitike has been fantastic, and he's got so much to give. 

“I’d be interested to see if it could be done with two of them up front or one of them on the left drifting in with Kerkez coming and overlapping a little bit more.”

Cody Gakpo also comes under the microscope. Heskey identifies the Dutch winger as a key figure in balancing Liverpool’s attack and defensive duties, particularly in filling the voids left by Luis Díaz and the late, great Diogo Jota.

“I think Gakpo needs to come into his own. He’s got to show a little bit more, especially on that left wing. He needs to show a little bit more for me. I was hoping he could be the one stepping into that void that Luis Díaz has left. I don’t think they regret selling Díaz though - business is business,” Heskey suggested.

From a tactical perspective, Gakpo’s positioning and willingness to track back will determine how compact Liverpool can remain without the ball. Meanwhile, £116+ million signing Florian Wirtz is still adapting to the Premier League’s pace and intensity, a reminder that even elite talents require time to settle.

“No matter how much a team spends on a player, they’re still going to need a little period of bedding in and it might be longer for some than others,” Heskey explains. 

“When you look at Luis Suárez, he hit the ground running. But not every player’s like that. Wirtz is needing that bedding in, especially with the price tag because that will be in his head as well.”

Tactically, Slot must integrate Wirtz carefully to ensure he complements Liverpool’s structure without creating vulnerabilities. Once settled, Wirtz adds creativity capable of unlocking tight defences, as he has shown throughout his career in Germany and is a potential catalyst for Slot’s attacking philosophy.

Liverpool’s challenge in season two is clear: restore defensive solidity, balance the attack, and integrate new signings without compromising the fluidity that brought them glory. As Heskey notes, the back must be secure for the front to flourish. In that balance lies the key to Liverpool defending their title successfully.