Arne Slot’s Fast Start: Is the Best Still Yet to Come?

Arne Slot has enjoyed an explosive start to life on Merseyside, winning all three of his competitive games in charge without conceding a single goal. With the team performances looking incredible, individual performances have also went hand-in-hand with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ibou Konate all seemingly relishing their chances under Slot.

However, perhaps the scariest aspect of Slot’s start at Liverpool is that the best could still be yet to come. Over the first three games, the Dutchman has made just one change to his starting lineup with Konate replacing Jarell Quansah at the heart of defence after just one game. This has left a number of really talented players left with barely a sniff of first-team football in the first month of the season.

Whilst patience will be key, there’s a handful of players that supporters can be excited to see more of after the international break…

Harvey Elliott

The 21-year-old midfielder will undoubtedly be frustrated by his lack of minutes at the start of the season, playing just seven minutes in the opening three games. This comes as a bit of a surprise considering his fantastic form at the end of last season and even in pre-season under Slot.

Elliott seemed the perfect fit to be that most advanced midfielder, but it seems that Szoboszlai’s impressive form has just been too good to miss out on for the Dutchman. The youngster could be about to suffer another setback with reports suggesting that he has picked up a minor injury prior to England Under-21’s international fixtures.

Joe Gomez

It’s been a tricky summer for Joe Gomez and his lack of action so far has been completely understandable. The 27-year-old had consistently been linked with a move away from Liverpool over the summer and was reportedly open to a move himself. That, alongside his involvement in England’s EURO squad, has pushed him down Slot’s pecking order with him yet to play a single minute so far this season.

The defender enjoyed a really successful season under Klopp last year, proving his worth in every position across the backline. With the sale of Sepp van den Berg, another loan move for Nathaniel Phillips and the exit of Joel Matip, Gomez is now one of just four central defensive options at the club. Therefore, once the Carabao Cup and UEFA Champions League kicks off, you can expect to see much more of Joe Gomez.

Darwin Nunez

Never has a player split opinion amongst the fanbase more than Darwin Nunez has since his record-breaking move from Benfica in 2022. In terms of numbers, the Uruguayan enjoyed a really impressive 23/24 campaign with 18 goals and 13 assists under Jurgen Klopp. However, the forward has been limited to just 32 minutes of football in the opening three games this season.

There’s no doubt that Nunez has the natural tools to be a brilliant Premier League forward, but there’s still so many parts of his game that leaves fans frustrated. Perhaps it will take some time for Slot to iron out the creases in Nunez’s game, but either way you can expect to see much more of the number nine over the next few weeks and hopefully he can put out a real statement.

Looking Ahead

As much as I’ve highlighted those three players, Liverpool fans are still of course awaiting their first glimpse of new signing Federico Chiesa, who joined from Juventus for just £12million. The Italian will definitely add another layer of quality and depth to Slot’s already explosive frontline.

Curtis Jones is set to return from injury soon too and I think the young midfielder could fit Slot’s plans extremely well and could provide cover in all three of the midfield roles we have seen so far under Slot. Players like Wataru Endo and Jarell Quansah will be looking to prove any early doubts from the head coach wrong and as mentioned before, they’ll definitely get their chance at some point.

Liverpool face a really busy schedule following the current international break, with eight games in the space of a month with clashes against the likes of West Ham United, AC Milan, Bologna and Chelsea.