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By Neel Shelat
Six games into the 2024/25 English Premier League season, neither defending champions Manchester City nor top contenders Arsenal are at the top of the table. Instead, Liverpool find themselves first having won five matches so far. Clearly, Arne Slot’s tenure in charge of the Reds has gotten off to a great start. Only time can tell whether his side can sustain such a level of performance over the course of the season, but they have a lot of positives to take away from their performances so far.
Quiet transfer window
The coaching change was nearly Liverpool’s only noteworthy piece of business this summer as they did not part ways with any important squad players and only made a couple of signings at the very end of the window. Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili was the first, though he was loaned back to the Spanish side for the season. So, Federico Chiesa was the only new addition to the squad for the 2024/25 season, and his signing was at least partly brought about by the low transfer fee.
Some fans were not too pleased about one of the quietest transfer windows in the club’s recent history, but there was a rationale behind this approach. Liverpool recognised the value of maintaining continuity in the squad to help smoothen the transition between coaches. Slot’s stylistic similarities to Klopp were a big factor in his selection as the German tactician’s successor, so he had no problems taking over the same squad.
Of course, he also had to inherit the problems Klopp faced in the squad. The lack of depth in the right wing position was alleviated by Chiesa’s arrival, but the defensive midfield position remained a big question. So far, Slot has fashioned Ryan Gravenberch into a solution, but he is yet to be thoroughly tested in that role. There are a good few options in most other positions, so this should not be seen as anything more than a minor potential issue.
Dynamic attacking
The most impressive aspect of Liverpool’s play under Slot so far has unquestionably been their attacking. They have scored 20 goals in eight matches across all competitions, putting big names like Manchester United and Milan to the sword. In the process, they have accumulated the second-highest xG tally in the league.
Unlike the teams around them in this metric who generally look to wear down opponents by keeping a lot of possession and patiently progressing the ball, Liverpool’s attacking has been more fast-paced and dynamic. Of course, they too like to control possession and have kept nearly 60% of the ball on average in their league matches so far, but they also like to mix up their attacks with direct balls into the channels or in behind.
Trent Alexander-Arnold plays a key role in dictating his side’s tempo. He often used to invert into midfield in Klopp’s final season, and Slot has kept that trend going. The Dutch tactician usually asks the left back to stay deep and form a back three in possession, freeing up the English right back. He then can either move into the centre alongside Gravenberch in a double pivot or push up in the half-space or out wide depending on the right winger’s position.
A big reason why the goals have flowed so freely for Liverpool lies in this variety and ability to seamlessly mix things up, which is another reason why they wanted to avoid major changes to the squad. Alexander-Arnold’s understanding of his teammates’ tendencies and favoured positions have gone a long way to help him become the team’s top creator, though the biggest chunk of the credit has to go to his incredible passing and vision.
Alexander-Arnold’s role often gives a lot of insight into Liverpool’s approach in matches and against certain opponents. Generally speaking, Slot has asked him to invert into central midfielder more often against lower-quality opposition who set out to defend deep, giving the 25-year-old right back more license to take risks without the fear of leaving his defence exposed. Against stronger opposition who can pose more of a counterattacking threat, though, he is usually sent further forward to make telling contributions in the final third while his teammates take care of ball progression.
Some of the forwards have obviously enjoyed a great start to the season by frequently getting on the scoresheet. Mohamed Salah and Luis Díaz already have 14 league goal involvements between them as their clever attacking movement and runs in behind have seen them regularly receive the ball in dangerous positions, where their clinical decision-making and execution have made the difference.
Such a style of attacking should also suit Darwin Núñez, arguably the most enigmatic forward not just in Liverpool’s squad but in the Premier League. He has not seen a great deal of game time so far and was not even a part of the matchday squad last weekend due to an illness, but he should aim to establish himself as a regular starter in the near future.
Defence yet to be tested
Liverpool’s attack has evdidently shown a lot of promise in the early days of Slot’s tenure, but it is difficult to say much about their defence. The stats make for very positive reading at the minute as the Reds have kept the most clean sheets, conceded the lowest xG tally, and let in the fewest goals in the league so far, but they should not get carried away.
Quite simply, they are yet to face a serious attacking force. Their high block and press might have some small holes that are yet to be exposed, as this was an issue Slot occasionally faced at Feyenoord. Their rest defence – particularly with Gravenberch at the base of midfield – could also be targeted, so we should get a much better picture of where the Reds stand defensively after they face sides like Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton, Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid in the next couple of months.
Until then, Liverpool should aim to continue building on their smooth start to the season and polish a few potential weak spots to give themselves the best chance of participating in a title race in the second half of the season.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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