Liverpool's incredible start under Arne Slot - and why new boss isn't getting enough credit
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There was a time when seven consecutive victories in the European Cup would have had you two games from lifting the trophy. Win seven on the spin in the latest format and you are still seven matches away from reaching the final. That is the way the Champions League works.
Liverpool have won nothing yet, as Arne Slot will not tire of telling you. But there should still be no camouflaging one of the most eye-catching starts ever made by a club manager in English football. Harvey Elliott gave an intriguing insight into Slot’s managerial mindset when he explained how the Liverpool manager bides his time before giving any post-match verdict and then keeps it brief.
“He waits for everyone to settle down - especially after a win,” said Elliott. “Emotions are high. We have a two-minute debrief but the main debrief is the next day.”. Simple but effective stuff. Slot does not want to get carried away - positively or negatively - in the heat of the moment. In the furnace of battle, Slot actually CAN get carried away, as three yellow cards this season will tell you.
But away from the field, it is hard to recall a more level-headed manager operating in the high-pressure elite environment of the Premier League and Champions League. It is a given that managing expectations is part of the job for these guys. And the season is only just past its midway point and Slot is, of course, right to say there is a long way to go.
But there also seems to be a view amongst certain observers that Liverpool are almost workmanlike, that they are not as compelling as they were under Jurgen Klopp. And that view does Slot - who, don’t forget, has had to handle the distraction of the Salah/Trent/Van Dijk contract stand-offs - an injustice.
