Liverpool’s impressive start to the Premier League was questioned when the Reds lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, but there is still a lot to be excited about as a Liverpool supporter.
Arne Slot has won nine points from his first four games in charge and, whilst the nature of the loss to Forest was disappointing, the result still leaves Liverpool in a good place.
Liverpool’s new boss has actually had a better start to his Premier League career than his predecessor Jurgen Klopp did. Klopp won five points from his first four games, the same record as current Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
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Arteta and Klopp inherited squads worse than Slot has, but the pair both managed to nurture teams capable of competing with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
It took Klopp just under five years to finally win a Premier League title at Anfield, but Slot could have the perfect template to success and could be challenging much sooner.
Pep Guardiola’s City team have dominated English football for the last seven seasons, and this campaign it looks like The Citizens will be right up there at the top of the table again.
The only team to have won a Premier League since Guardiola first got his hands on the trophy are Liverpool and, although many of Klopp’s title winning side are no longer at the club, it could well be the Reds who break City’s dominance again.
The majority of the players from the Liverpool side that finished only nine points behind City last season are still at the club and the Reds are only one point behind where they were at this stage last campaign.
The loss to Forest was a bump in the road but Slot could still have Liverpool competing for the Premier League in the near future.
Football – FA Premier League – Ipswich Town FC v Liverpool FC IPSWICH, ENGLAND – Saturday, August 17, 2024: Liverpool s Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring the second goal during the FA Premier League match between Ipswich Town FC and Liverpool FC at Portman Road. Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda IPSWICH Portman Road SUFFOLK ENGLAND PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK Copyright: xDavidxRawcliffex P2024-08-17-Ipswich_Liverpool-87
Although the Reds no longer possess a perfect record in the league, they have remained solid defensively – only conceding one goal in four games.
To put that into perspective Liverpool’s four opponents, Ipswich Town, Brentford, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest have scored a combined 16 goals from their opening four matches.
Slot has already improved Liverpool defensively and now he has to learn lessons from his first defeat to make sure that the Reds don’t get beaten the same way again.
The Dutchman clearly has a preferred starting XI, fielding an unchanged line up for three of his four game and only making one change in the other.
It is when looking at this preferred XI and Liverpool’s solid defensive record that the template starts to emerge for how Slot can get Liverpool competing.
Liverpool have looked dominant for most of this season, thrashing Manchester United at Old Trafford and scoring some well worked team goals. The team were not good enough against Nottingham Forest, but they have already shown the level they can play to.
Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz are both enjoying fantastic starts to the season, Ryan Gravenberch looks like a fantastic option at the base of the midfield and Alisson is looking sharp as ever.
Liverpool cannot allow teams to frustrate them like Nottingham Forest did but Slot will know this, and if he can keep his key players in the form they started the season in then he could have Liverpool challenging sooner rather than later.
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