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While Slot was justifiably unhappy with that loss to Nottingham Forest, it has otherwise been a series of successes for the Dutchman since replacing Júrgen Klopp. Victory over Bologna in the Champions League means he becomes the first Anfield coach to win eight of the first nine in charge, while his team sit joint-top in the early stages of that competition and outright top in the Premier League too. So is it a sign of what’s to come?
It could be, of course, and the underlying numbers certainly put Liverpool among the better performers across 2024/25 so far. But there have been plenty of in-match instances which suggest slight fortune or individual excellence has had to come to the rescue for the precise tally of eight early victories. Bologna was a fine example: quite possibly the Reds would have raised their game further and scored more, but the Italians should have netted at least once to pull level after defensive mishaps. Wolves similarly spurned chances last time out domestically, and conceded a needless penalty.
Still, each game is an isolated case of ‘do what you must’, and…Liverpool have.
The Reds have conceded the fewest by a distance so far, with four clean sheets in six and just two goals allowed. But aside from actually putting the ball in the net, they are not allowing too many chances either – certainly not in open play from opposition build-up. A combined xG conceded of 4.5 from six matches is impressive in its own right and the lowest in the Premier League; consider further that Wolves’ weekend goal came as a result of a defensive mix-up which resulted in a tap-in from two yards, carrying an xG value itself of almost 0.4, and it’s clear that most of the rest of the team’s defensive play has been extremely strong.
Going forward, they similarly remain one of the best around. Liverpool have a total xG for six games so far of 12.6, scoring 12. Only Tottenham beat them on xG, only Man City and Chelsea have actually netted more.
It’s also Spurs who are the only team to have created more big chances than Liverpool, 26 to 24, but while the north London side have missed 18, the Merseysiders are slightly better in that regard, missing 14. Add in third for corners, third for touches in the box and fourth for balls won in midfield – where Slot seems to set his initial pressing bank of four out of possession – and it’s clear Liverpool are a cohesive unit who are creating at a high level and reaping the rewards.
In short, they are winning and top because so far they deserve to be.
But now is the question of what comes next, and there’s no doubt that the manager’s next nine games are set to be far more difficult than the first nine.
“I don’t want to be remembered for my first nine games,” Slot said after beating Bologna. “I hope we do special things here.” These upcoming nine will now set the platform for Liverpool to show just how special his maiden campaign is capable of being – because the following two games are against Real Madrid and Manchester City.
Obviously, those could be telling in Europe and domestically.
While the hardest fixtures so far for the Anfield club – on paper of course – have probably been Manchester United and AC Milan away, they won those fixtures in absolute comfort. Neither have been anything approaching exemplary this term. Only Nottingham Forest have made life difficult for them across a full 90, and the visitors surprisingly triumphed.
In the next nine, it’s a different matter. Following on from Saturday’s early kick-off at Crystal Palace, Liverpool host an in-form and full-of-goals Chelsea, before back-to-back trips to Leipzig, Arsenal, and Brighton. No prizes for guessing which of those will be the toughest and most tension-filled, and potentially as insightful a match as the aforementioned game with Man City. While the Brighton trip is a League Cup clash, there’s a trophy on the line all the same – one the Reds are defending this year.
Then it’s Brighton again in the league, German champions Bayer Leverkusen, and top-four candidates Aston Villa. Southampton away is the only one of the next nine which could be arguably dismissed as a surefire three points, given Saints’ own propensity for defensive ricks so far.
So it’s full steam ahead, but with far more meaning, far more difficulty and far more insight to be gained across Slot’s next batch of fixtures. Liverpool have had things easy by comparison and the Dutch head coach is about to get a much more real representation of what the job entails.
And then it’s onto the small matter of the European and domestic champions.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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