Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool have had an impressive start to 2019 in the Premier League, winning 10 and drawing 1 of their first 11 games, scoring 25 goals and conceding 9.
Now, under Arne Slot, Liverpool have won nine, drawn one and lost one of their first 11 games. They have scored 21 goals but conceded just six. Crucially, the Reds are now five points clear of Manchester City.
Against Aston Villa, if Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah had capitalised on their quick counter-attacks, Liverpool could have scored more than two goals. But instead of attacking in waves as they did under Klopp, Slot slowed the pace of the game when they were ahead by sitting deep and controlling possession.
There were times when Aston Villa came close to finding the back of the net. But for the most part, Liverpool controlled the game and looked the most dangerous on the counter-attack.
"It wasn't as easy as most of our games these days. Villa maybe weren't as aggressive as we thought, but we were patient. Overall, we controlled the game and scored from two counter-attacks. This is probably not what we expected," Slot said after the match.
Klopp’s Liverpool often use their pace in attack to constantly suffocate their opponents. However, Slot does not have Sadio Mane or Roberto Firmino in the squad, and Salah is now five years older. The Egyptian is still a powerful striker, but will not be as prolific as he was in 2019.
Salah, however, remains a creative player and has a good scoring rate. Meanwhile, Luis Diaz is also an important part of Slot's attack. Down the line, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, along with midfielders Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch, give Liverpool control in matches.
That is the most obvious difference between Slot and Klopp. Liverpool currently control games from midfield, while Klopp prefers to press high.
There are many different ways to win the Premier League and Slot's blueprint has given Liverpool a huge advantage early in the season. There will be tough times ahead, and the next set of fixtures will be a more realistic test of Slot's abilities.
Man City will be back, so will Arsenal. However, right now Slot's Liverpool are the number 1 title candidate and the team to beat.
"A new coach should not think about how many points he can get in how many games. You need to think about changing the style of play or keeping it the same.
"To change, you need to do a lot of work on the training ground and in team meetings. The only thing I think about is how to implement the game and motivate the players to give their best effort," Slot said after the win over Villa.
