The secret to Arne Slot’s success separating Liverpool from their rivals
The Dutch coach has used a version of Pep Guardiola’s style to reduce the Man City boss to a pale imitation of Jose Mourinho
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Your support makes all the difference.As the Liverpool players came into the dressing room celebrating, the message from Arne Slot was immediate. This victory over Manchester City was one to be proud of but also to be set aside straight away. The point was something that has actually come up with Liverpool over the past few years, especially when compared to Pep Guardiola’s repeat champions. That’s that, while it’s great to have a high ceiling as a team, it’s better to have a solid base.
“If you want to win anything, it is not about what you are able to do but more about the consistency,” Slot said after the game. “Only a few teams have won from City or from Real Madrid once in a while but it is not about winning once or twice. If you want to win anything, it is all about consistency.”
The implication is clear. The team has won nothing yet. This could all still blow up, so make sure it doesn’t happen.
Slot obviously has to look at it all like that, but there aren’t many outside the club thinking the same way. That’s because there aren’t many precedents.
There have only been three times in Premier League history when a lead like Liverpool’s, of nine points or more, has been overturned. These were: 1992-93, when Norwich City were 12 ahead of Manchester United, albeit with 18 games played to 17; 1995-96, when Newcastle United were 12 points ahead of Manchester United after 23 games; 1997-98, when Manchester United were 13 ahead of Arsenal, albeit with 20 matches played to 19.
As can be noted, none of these were in the last 25 years. Football’s modern economy ensures the wealthiest clubs make fewer and fewer errors, especially when they do develop a proper team and are in a groove. That is undeniably where Liverpool are at. That is what is so shocking about Manchester City’s drop-off.
It’s also why we’re now finally at the point where we’re talking about this kind of thing, and Slot has to field newly credible questions about winning the league.
It did feel like this was a weekend when the table started to take shape. Positions are starting to level out. Even in the top spot, Liverpool have probably had the most meaningful week of all. No one can say anymore that they haven’t beaten anyone substantial yet. They’ve just done away with the champions of Europe and champions of England, and managed it with what were probably their two best performances of the season so far. Neither Real Madrid nor Manchester City could live with them, which is highly significant regardless of the drop-offs at either club.
Liverpool saved their best for the biggest games so far.
All that’s left, at least in terms of big challenges, is exactly what Slot said: consistency. It’s about turning those 13 games into 25-30. There’s also the one big question over how the team will react when they have a wobble, which even figures within the club think is inevitable.
That’s also why it feels this week is significant, too. If we now have shape on the table, these few days might shave the edges off it.
Liverpool have two testing games, away to Newcastle United, and then away to Everton. As stand-alone games, Slot’s side should naturally consider themselves favourites in both. You only have to see the form. Taken together in a quick four-day period, though, it suddenly becomes a mini-test of its own.
This is where there is potential for that kind of wobble. That is sharpened by how Arsenal appear to have hit the kind of form that generates one of those runs, where a team can go 20 unbeaten. They are that fearsome in attack again. Slot referenced this, while also giving Chelsea special mention and refusing to rule out City.
“I saw Arsenal yesterday and I saw Chelsea today, they are all capable of getting the same winning streak as we have so let’s not get carried away by one or two wins. It’s all about consistency until the end of the season, keeping the players fit and playing, keep them playing with this much energy.”
This is where Slot’s style may be all the more influential. As impressive as Liverpool’s first half was, some rival managers watching on felt that it was the second half that was more telling, Liverpool were comfortably able to shore everything up, with Virgil van Dijk just looking so smooth in this system, a rare mistake towards the end of Sunday’s game withstanding.
That conserves energy, and that’s how they can suddenly rise to levels like in the 2-0 win over City.
It is also the extra challenge for Arsenal, Chelsea or even City themselves. They all need to be perfect. The problem there is that it’s so far only Liverpool that have looked anywhere close to that, and they’re also required to have some real difficulties.
This has been the lesson of Slot so far. It’s all been so calm and low maintenance, with high performance.
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