For the first time since leading Liverpool, Arne Slot knows what it feels like to stand at the top of the Premier League rankings and look down. The Kop took advantage of Man City's stumble at Newcastle's field to enjoy the leading position.
Since the beginning of the season in all competitions, Liverpool have won 7/8 matches and only conceded 2 goals. Doubts about Arne Slot's ability are gradually fading away, but the strength of the "Red Brigade" this season to be able to compete for the championship is the question of the most concern.
One of the biggest challenges for Arne Slot and his students is the UEFA Champions League. As the new format increases the number of matches, Liverpool also have to put in more effort to plow through. To keep the players' legs sublime since the beginning of the season, the Anfield coaching staff has had to minimize the exhaustion in friendly matches. However, once the cycle of filming becomes more intense, it is uncertain that in the next few months, everything will be as beautiful as it is now.
"The whole team is proving that if the opponents were the toughest names like Chelsea, Newcastle, Arsenal or Aston Villa, we could still stand in this position.
The players understand that the story of being at the top of the table after 6 rounds does not mean much in the race decision. It does not give you the realistic look like when you have played 19 matches.
However, there is no denying the club's current positivity. This is even more meaningful when the team has a new coach, along with a new coaching staff. Just think, if we had lost 4-5 games since the beginning of the season, everything would be very different from now" - Arne Slot shared.
After the Wolves match, Liverpool will face Crystal Palace, then Chelsea and Arsenal in the Premier League. In between are the matches with Bologna and RB Leipzig in the Champions League. The increasingly tight and intense schedule makes every team feel stressed, not just Liverpool.
Arne Slot is temporarily feeling fine when he is surrounded by his Dutch compatriots in very good form. Virgil van Dijk is still showing world-class class in the center-back position. Meanwhile, Ryan Gravenberch is having a season of remarkable progress in the midfield role. When he was playing under Jurgen Klopp, the 22-year-old star was never considered a key factor. Now, things are different with Arne Slot.
In the previous two seasons, when the race seemed to have room for Liverpool. However, in the end, the championship title was just a duet between Man City and Arsenal. At the end of last season, there were times when The Kop rushed in and created a triangle situation but quickly ran out of steam. Now, everything may have returned to the 2018 - 2020 period when Liverpool reached its peak under Jurgen Klopp.
Coming to the top of the Premier League table when Arsenal, Man City are still classy, Chelsea, Aston Villa are still convincing is not easy for Liverpool but they have done it. Now it's time to see how long "Slot-ball" can keep this up.
