Even Gary Neville might need Liverpool U-turn if Arne Slot request is granted

Now 10 matches into his Liverpool tenure, Arne Slot will be able to reflect back on what he has learned so far during the upcoming international break. A couple of weeks without a match will allow for some self-evaluation.

And while the sample size remains relatively small, there is no doubt that it has made for promising viewing. Liverpool has bigger matches to come but get positive results against the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal in the coming weeks and Slot's playing down of what has been achieved to date will become more difficult.


I heard Arne Slot give perfect answer that shows he understands Liverpool task
The basic numbers up to this point read positively. Liverpool has won nine out of 10 fixtures and only conceded twice in the Premier League. It sits top of the table and has a 100 per cent record in cup competitions.

Five clean sheets from a possible seven in the league is a platform on which titles can be won with the only blemish being the home defeat to Nottingham Forest. That, it seems, was an anomaly.

Reaching the second international break of the season with so much to be positive about, with little in the way of a transition period being evidenced so far, it has been about as good a beginning to life post-Jurgen Klopp as anyone could have dreamt.

They are, even without that context of Slot only having just arrived in the country, numbers that would point to Liverpool being far more solid at the back this season. That was their big problem last year and why silverware escaped them after the Carabao Cup.

"I didn’t think Liverpool were anywhere near their best [against Wolves]," Gary Neville said following last week's Reds victory. "I think that they’re going to have a decent season it looks like — maybe get Champions League football. I didn’t feel like I was watching title winners being honest with you."


Arne Slot gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool at Selhurst Park in south London on October 5, 2024. 
In fairness, it is still early. Both Manchester City and Arsenal should be considered likelier to win the league than Liverpool, though the former has just lost Rodri and the latter is more easily conceding goals right now than it has for a while.

The idea that Liverpool should be in any way talked down, though, is silly. As it stands, the only evidence is that the Reds are showing a lot of the traits required to go a long way and sustain a title push even further than they did last season.


I heard Arne Slot give perfect answer that shows he understands Liverpool task
Slot knows that too. "I also said last week that I hope they don't only remember me in one, two, three, four, five years only for this," he said after Crystal Palace, reacting to a question about his record so far.

"We are hoping to do more special things than this," he said, making clear about what he wants to see come next. "It also shows the luck I had that I inherited a very good squad and a very good staff to continue getting the results that Jurgen had here as well."

By the next international break, the sample size will be larger and the caliber of opponent stronger. This time next month, the hope is that even Neville might have to admit he has called Liverpool wrongly. It already looks likely to be the case.

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