Nine games, 19 goals scored, four goals conceded, eight wins, and one loss. The Arne Slot era at Liverpool couldn’t be off to a better start as he’s taken over for Jurgen Klopp, instilling his own tactics to make this team his own. It led to a 2-0 victory over Bologna on Wednesday in the Champions League where Liverpool were organized, effective, and of course reliant on Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian had a goal and an assist while the Reds only took nine shots, controlling the game with their movement more than possession.
Only allowing 12 shots from Bologna for an xG of 0.56, Liverpool did even better defending in the box only allowing six total shots. The partnership of Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate is a solid one but the midfield does a strong job in shielding their defense even without a prototypical defensive midfielder in the setup.
Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch combine ball-winning abilities with impressive passing and dribbling skills so the second that Liverpool get the ball back, it’s going the other way with coordinated passing to break down the defense. It’s apparent in Liverpool’s opening goal where Mac Allister found himself in a position generally reserved for strikers.
Mac Allister revived the ball deep in midfield to start the move, got it back, and continued moving and his creativity was rewarded by Salah playing it back into the middle. Salah may have been aiming for Darwin Nunez there but with the Uruguayan out of the play, Mac Allister was able to make it count for a goal as the Reds flooded the box.
Plays like that are something that clearly show the difference between Liverpool under Slot and under Klopp but also the similarities too. They’re still a devastating side on the counter attack but the progressions are calculated instead of improvised on the fly. It was something that showed again in Salah’s goal to add with his assist.
It remains to be seen if Liverpool can keep this up over the course of a season but we’ll soon find out if the Reds are for real. October will see them face Chelsea, RB Leipzig, and Arsenal, and if they pass those tests not only will they be discussed as Premier League title contenders but Champions League contenders as well. The squad has all the makings to challenge for everything with top level attackers and impressive youth prospects as well. There’s even Federico Chiesa, a player who if Liverpool can get significant contributions out of him can help raise Liverpool’s ceiling.
Only time will tell the staying power that the Reds have but they can’t have started off much better to date. Now, it’s about carrying the good momentum forward.
