Arne Slot’s tenure at Liverpool has been underscored by the anticipation of Chelsea’s match at Anfield this Sunday, marking a pivotal period for the team, a sentiment echoed by Slot for quite some time now. The uncertain status of the early frontrunners of the Premier League, Liverpool, was confirmed by their head coach, Slot, who is eagerly awaiting their performance.
Slot used the international hiatus as some much-needed downtime, spending multiple days to reflect on his stellar start at Liverpool and reenergize ahead of a rigorous and enlightening schedule. The team’s performance over a string of seven matches in three weeks — against Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton, and Aston Villa in the Premier League, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, as well as the Carabao Cup at Amex Stadium — will be a real testament to their adaptation thus far.
Slot’s reign, which has elicited the best results of any Liverpool manager with nine victories from ten games across all competitions, has also been a model of moderation. The 46-year-old was the first to point out the relatively forgiving early fixtures for Liverpool compared to their fellow Premier League contenders, a theme that remained constant. While this could merely be a psychological strategy Slot is employing to drive his team towards ceaseless improvement and inhibit complacency, it remains undoubtedly factual.
When compared to rival clubs such as Manchester City, and Arsenal, Liverpool was granted a considerably gentler start during Slot’s inaugural season, judging from the average ranking of their opponents. Their six league triumphs came from teams ranking 20th, 18th, 17th, 14th, 13th, and 11th. The team only faced another top-half team once, the 10th-ranked Nottingham Forest, which resulted in Slot’s sole defeat.
Liverpool’s potential to build momentum was undoubtedly boosted by the fixture list, offering them stability as the team evolves under the new head coach, Slot, and circumventing any prospective pitfalls post-Jürgen Klopp era. Their performances to date have embodied control, a Slot coined term. Unlike Klopp, the Dutch head coach emphasises more on team shape, minimising exposure to counterattacks, aside from Callum Hudson-Odoi’s winning goal for Forest.
Although Liverpool’s current style of play might not be as captivating as it used to be under Klopp, they have attained a stronger control, resulting in the club having the most outstanding defensive record in the Premier League. They’ve only admitted two goals and their expected goals against have reduced from 1.22 to 0.74 per contest. Moreover, Liverpool has also improved their goal-scoring efficiency this season.
However, Slot asserted that it’s too premature to make decisive opinions about his influence or the team’s potential. Liverpool is currently handling their first serious defensive disturbance with Alisson out of play due to an injury. For the following seven games at least, Alisson, a Brazilian player, will be absent as he recovers from a severe hamstring issue. During this period, Caoimhín Kelleher will be stepping in, particularly against Chelsea, marking his 50th game for the club.
When queried if Slot already had a measure of the team’s ability, he responded by saying opinions could be drawn only after the upcoming seven matches – suggesting that results against lower-tier teams are just as revealing as performances against higher-rank opponents.
Two years ago, Liverpool participated in the Champions League, where key players such as Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold were fully involved. Comparing that to last season when they played in the Europa League, where the same players didn’t partake as much, showed a distinct advantage in the latter scenario.
Slot is eager to see how the team copes with arduous Champions League matches while also preparing for the domestic league. This will also give an insight into their performance against formidable Premier League teams. He noted a unique contrast between Dutch and English leagues; in England, the gap between the first and the eighteenth teams is less pronounced as compared to the Dutch league, where a team like PSV and the 18th team have a more noticeable difference.
This weekend, Liverpool has a face-off with the team currently ranked fourth at Anfield. Despite their youth and unpredictability, Chelsea has managed to maintain an impeccable record on the road and boasts the second-highest scoreline in the Premier League this season. The only team that parallels Enzo Maresca’s squad’s away form is Liverpool itself.
According to Slot, Chelsea poses “a significant risk to the ones who are leading or closely following this season.” He hinted at possibly placing them even further up.
Speculating about Liverpool’s fate under fresh management might be premature, but when pressed, Slot expressed an intriguing perspective. He highlighted how the team has continually aimed for the upper echelons of the league, a position they currently hold. The difference between the top three ranks, he noted, is minute.
Slot went on to compare last season’s substantial divide between the fourth, fifth, and sixth ranks to the anticipated tighter contention, primarily due to Chelsea’s performance. Perhaps Chelsea might even clinch the top spot, but according to Slot, the rivalry for the leading four ranks will be more heated this season. He also suggested that teams aiming for the top four will have to outscore last season’s points.— Guardian