Arne Slot has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water. Easy, this English football lark, he might think. He rocked up to what the traditionalists like to call 'our league' and set it alight, losing just once in his first 23 league games and three times overall – though one was a dead-rubber Champions League match and one a first-leg cup tie which they can still win this week. But the one thing Slot has found tough to deal with, according to those who know him well, is the relentlessness. He is not the first manager to come from overseas to think that and he certainly will not be the last.

Since the last international break in late November, Liverpool have played 19 games, with 10 of those away trips. That includes treks to Girona, Eindhoven, Newcastle, Southampton (twice), Nottingham, London (three times) and Bournemouth. Slot had never worked outside of Holland before he moved here. On a personal level, relocating abroad was a culture shock. Leaving wife Mirjam, son Joep and daughter Isa back in Zwolle has been hard for the manager, driven by the fact his kids are doing school exams.

It was fine at first because there are three international breaks in the autumn, which meant he could take the one-hour flight home or book a family holiday and have at least a week off. But since November it has been non-stop, a 17-week stretch between rest periods. Arne Slot has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water after Liverpool's flying start. The Reds have lost just once in their first 23 league games and hold the edge over their rivals.

Their 2-0 victory over Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium moved them nine points clear at the top. No time for moaning, though. Keep calm and carry on. Because although 2025 has seen Liverpool further strengthen their quest for supremacy, it just keeps coming thick and fast. And the next 10 days or so will be the most pivotal of the season. First up is Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg on Thursday. The holders, Liverpool, are 1-0 down after Lucas Bergvall's strike in the second week of January. Knowing what we know about Ange Postecoglou's leaky team, they should win.

But it will not be as easy as many think, especially if Spurs strike lucky and score first. Three days later they make the arduous trip to Devon to play Plymouth. Again, a game they should win but that old phrase, 'magic of the FA Cup' pops into mind. Argyle, of course, were the giant-killers of round three. They are also on a resurgence of sorts, losing just two of eight games since Wayne Rooney was sacked, so Home Park will be bouncing. Regardless of the result, they will not get back to the north west until late on Sunday.

That leaves a quick turnaround for the big one: the final Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park against a team that have won three games in a row under David Moyes. The Toffees were sleepwalking to relegation when this game was first scheduled but have since sacked Sean Dyche and, ever since, have only looked forward. Fans are back on side after the slog of watching 'Dycheball' and that game will be tricky for Liverpool to say the least.

Indeed, the Reds have not lost an away league game since their last trip across Stanley Park in April. That defeat prompted chants of 'you lost the league at Goodison Park' as the result, which came in days after their European exit, was a final nail in the coffin of their title hopes. The next 10 days or so will be crucial in their quest for supremacy on multiple fronts. Virgil van Dijk knows nothing is won yet and is taking their title charge game by game.

Slot's men have at least 19 games to play this season and possibly as many as 29. So it is still far too premature to talk about the fabled Quadruple but it is worth saying on current form they would be the favourites for all four competitions they are in. Whether by luck or by design, the injury crisis which ravaged last season - at one point they were in double figures for sidelined players - seems to be a thing of the past.

On Saturday, Federico Chiesa and Joe Gomez did not travel to Bournemouth just because they were not selected for the squad. There was zero injuries before the match, though Trent Alexander-Arnold will be assessed in the next 24 hours for a suspected muscle issue. It is in contrast to some rivals who are struggling to fill their substitutes benches or populating them with rookies from the academy and this, perhaps above all, is a factor that could swing the honours in Liverpool's favour this time around.

Captain Virgil van Dijk knows nothing is won yet and said: 'Why should we look at the table? It is February. Big or close gap (on rivals), we just have to win our games. That is the only thing we have an influence on. 'Hard work. It starts with that and never settle for anything other than that. We have to work our socks off. Every game is difficult. Keep working, keep running and keep putting your body on the line.'.