Arne Slot has repeatedly said that Liverpool cannot be judged until they face a big test against a big opponent. And after the draw with Arsenal, Slot can confidently talk about the resilience of The Kop.
Anfield's victory over Chelsea was a test for an improving team. However, the trip to the Emirates is now considered a real test for Slot's talent as well as Liverpool's ambitions in the post-Jurgen Klopp era.
In fact, Arsenal were the better team, more creative and posing more threats. However, with two leads, The Gunners still let Liverpool leave with 1 point. After 9 rounds, Liverpool, not Arsenal, is the team that closely follows champion Manchester City in the rankings.
In his post-match press conference, Slot admitted that Arsenal played better than Liverpool. At the same time, the Dutch "captain" was also satisfied with the fighting spirit of his players, even though they had less than 1 day off than their opponents.
"The last match had many events and was exciting. Both Arsenal and Liverpool scored from a set piece. In my opinion, Arsenal were the better team than Liverpool. They deserved to lead by 1 goal in the first half.
Liverpool have less time to recover and prepare for this match. When I looked at the strength that the students showed in the second half, I felt satisfied. Although Arsenal took the lead twice, we still tried to win back 1 point" - Slot said.
Slot's Liverpool brought a different image from when Klopp was in charge - a team often praised as a "mentalmonster". They play in a more disciplined 4-3-3 formation, with midfielders Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister often dropping deep. Therefore, the "Red Brigade" is more likely to be defeated, but on the downside, Slot's Liverpool lacks mager players.
After nine Premier League games in charge, Slot's side are second in the table, just one point behind Man City. They lost at the Emirates last season when their defence was sluggish, but Slot now focuses more on safety. Overall, the Dutch strategist has passed another test.
"What surprises me is that people say Liverpool have had an easy start. However, for me personally, there are no easy games in the Premier League.
We have faced many teams in the bottom half of the table, but Liverpool have also faced strong teams like Man United and Chelsea," Slot added.
