It was always going to be a huge act to follow after the departure of Jürgen Klopp from the Anfield dugout. Arne Slot assumed the seemingly monumental task and after a couple of months in the job, the more sceptical Liverpool fans of the Dutchman’s appointment might be relaxing slightly. One match aside, the surprise 0-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, Slot has displayed a quiet efficiency in getting results.
New online casinos at the Daily Star were relatively unsure how Liverpool would fare under Slot. While the squad remined the same, online sports betting markets at online casinos had their doubts over whether Slot could fill the boots of Klopp and hit the ground running following the German’s trophy-laden tenure. Reigning champions Manchester City and Arsenal were runaway favourites for the Premier League title, but with Slot’s Liverpool currently mixing it nicely at the top of the table, those pre-season odds might shorten further.
Slotting in with a gentle start
When the fixtures were generated, Slot had the immediate advantage of a gentle start to life in the Premier League. An away fixture to kick off the season at newly promoted Ipswich Town could have been a potential banana skin. Instead, Liverpool displayed their new look efficiency, controlling much of the match, scoring twice after half time, while also keeping a clean sheet. The clean sheet at Portman Road was the first of three in a row, including shutting out arch-rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford in a convincing 3-0 victory.
A new era, a new atmosphere
While Manchester United are no longer the formidable opposition they once proved to be, matches against Brentford and Nottingham Forest were more straight-forward tasks. However, this did not go to script when Nottingham Forest came to town on 14th September. The shock 0-1 loss was not just an eye-opener for Slot, who tasted defeat in the Premier League for the first time on this day, but for Liverpool fans too.
There were signs of the new era changes during the first home match versus Brentford, which The Reds comfortably won 2-0, but the defeat to Forest, and more importantly the atmosphere during it was an indication of the new style of football that has been brought to the Anfield Road. After so many years under Klopp, it might take some time for Liverpool fans to get used to the slower, more patient tempo. So long as Slot keeps getting results, Liverpool fans will still be content, but can he still achieve that without the same vociferous Anfield faithful.
Solid start in Europe
Last season, Slot’s Feyenoord team were knocked out of the Europa League at the play-off round by AS Roma having been knocked out of the Champions League group stage. Those six group stage matches were Slot’s only Champions League experience before taking over at Liverpool. However, the Dutchman has begun the new Champions League format supremely, with wins away at AC Milan and RB Leipzig sandwiching a home win over Bologna giving Slot and Liverpool a perfect start to the new format.
Steady start for Slot
Overall, Liverpool fans will be happy with the start Slot has made. Although it is not the same high-octane football with quick transitions and devastating pressing, Slot’s brand of possession-based football with a greater focus on clean sheets has so far paid dividends. After a kind start to the Premier League season, the home win over Chelsea was a stern test well negotiated. The coming weeks will really test Liverpool’s credentials with Real Madrid, Manchester City, and a Merseyside derby on the horizon. So far so good for Slot, but will Liverpool fans be saying the same come Christmas?
