Liverpool On Top – Now They Need to Retain It

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No Jurgen Klopp? So far, no problem. Seven wins out of eight in all competitions has given Arne Slot the super start he needed, but what does it actually mean to be top of the table after six games, and should the fans with LFC tickets get excited? 

Not yet.  But the Reds’ comprehensive game plans and tactics make it smooth sailing. It feels like Jurgen Klopp never left. 

It also parallels the other top-tier clubs, such as Manchester United and Chelsea, who need help in transitioning to the new management. While C`hlsea seems to have evaded the transition, the United is still in disarray. 

However, the real question all the fans with LFC tickets will ask is what will it take for the Reds to stay on top for another 30+ weeks. 

Early Starters

Manchester City were out in front after six games last season and went on to win the title. In Liverpool’s Premier League-winning campaign of 2019-20, Klopp’s side also topped the pile after six games and established a healthy five-point lead.

Well, here’s the curveball. In the past ten seasons, the leaders at this stage have completed the mission only four times: City in 2017-18 and Chelsea in 2014-15, plus the two already mentioned.

If further evidence is needed to highlight why the early league standings can be misleading, look no further than Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton, who were top at this point in 2020 before dropping off significantly and finishing mid-table.

The makeup of Liverpool’s squad suggests they will have far more staying power than their neighbors, but it’s too soon to judge — especially with tougher fixtures on the horizon.

Despite the small sample size, Liverpool are heading in the right direction. Virgil van Dijk has a defensive partner, Ibrahima Konate, who complements him well, and aside from a 15-minute wobble early in the second half at Molineux that cost Liverpool a goal, the Frenchman is back to his best. 

Ryan Gravenberch has solved a problem in deep-lying midfield by mixing guts and guile alongside Alexis MacAllister. Against Wolves, he won all eight of his duels and made the most tackles (three) while also playing 19 passes into the final third.

Only three players who have started every game this season across the division have better-passing accuracy than Gravenberch (89 percent), and he told Sky Sports after the Wolves’ win that regaining a starting spot has given him confidence.

Slot likes to work with a small group, preferring to build a strong team and stick with it. 

That was Slot’s game plan in his previous management stint with Feyenoord, where the focus was a set of eight players, including Gravenberch, who started every game. At the same time, Konate has been ever-present since coming off the bench at half-time on the season’s opening day when Slot identified a weakness without him.

Gravenberch, in his revived life, is now the newest fan favorite among all with LFC tickets. 

Goalkeeper Alisson missed one game through injury, and Diogo Jota was swapped for Darwin Nunez in the most obvious rotation dilemma. Placing so much trust and belief in a core group of players has clear benefits if they stay fit. 

Sharing the goals is helping, too. Luis Diaz has developed a ruthless streak, and all five forwards are off the mark across all competitions. Liverpool is turning into a winning machine again, but October, November, and December are going to be tricky months. 

Tough tests in the Champions League will mix with potentially defining Premier League games against Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Aston Villa. Only then will the fans with LFC tickets know this side’s full capabilities.

The Difference? 

The problem last term wasn’t so much the injuries to key players as how they struggled to find top form on their return. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah, and Jota all missed spells and were rusty when they came back into the team.

Slot will hope that his trusted medical and performance support staff, managed by Ruben Peeters, can improve the injury record and keep the players fresh and fired up.

Allison Backs Slot 

Despite a major staff overhaul at Liverpool in the summer, Alisson is optimistic about the future and has said the players are “committed” to Arne Slot‘s plans.

Whatever the Dutchman’s legacy at the club, the players’ anxiety over Jurgen Klopp‘s departure has been eased since Slot’s arrival, and Alisson has found working for him “fantastic.”

Speaking in-depth to Joe Hart for BBC Sport, the Reds’ goalkeeper said: “I’m finding [working with Slot] fantastic because we see that he wants to improve the players and doing that, he is improving the team.

“So he is trying to take the best out of everyone, every individual, and make us better. We were good and great before at some time, but we got to a point where we needed to have this extra push.

“Arne is bringing to us his new energy. He’s bringing us not only energy but knowledge, his knowledge of football. He is a really smart manager and head coach and is helping us a lot.”

Liverpool’s seven wins from eight games this season have meant plenty of positivity not just among supporters but also within the squad.

As Alisson highlighted, Slot’s approach and early success have bred confidence in the team.

“You can see from the way we are playing now, I think everybody is seeing that,” Liverpool’s No. 1 added.

“Also, his staff like to work hard, and they are showing us that their way of doing things is the best way that [we] can have now.

“So we are committed to that, we are committed to the plan, and we players see that it is a good plan.

“I’m really happy about the direction that everything is going. We have to keep pushing. We still have a lot of things to improve as a team and as individuals, but we are going in the right direction.

“It’s early in the season. I think we have a big gap to reach our best, but we are doing well so far and will keep working on the things we can improve.”

While Liverpool still needs improvement if they are to remain consistent this season and challenge for major honors, Slot doesn’t have to transform the team’s fortunes.

This reaffirmation from one of Liverpool’s best is probably the best news that any one with LFC tickets would want to hear. The team is doing well, the players are heeding the manager, and the manager is making it work in a perfect symphony. 

Unusually for coaches, he has inherited a squad with a strong mentality, a good leadership group, and the right mindset.

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