Arne Slot has guided Liverpool to the top of the Premier League in his first few months at Anfield, but the Reds face a tough run of fixtures in three different competitions in the coming weeks, so this could be a defining period for the Dutchman's first campaign on Merseyside.
Replacing Jurgen Klopp at Anfield was seen as an impossible task. However, Slot has made history by becoming the first Liverpool manager to win nine of his opening 10 games in all competitions. The Reds are currently top of the Premier League, through to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup and have made an impressive start to their Champions League campaign.
However, it seems that not everyone believes that Liverpool are real candidates for the Premier League title this season. Perhaps, even Slot himself understands this when considering the level of competitors.
"I look at the league table and say, 'Okay, who have we played so far and where are they? Are they in the top half or the bottom half?'" Slot said of Liverpool's favourable fixtures for the start of the 2024-25 season, which include games against Ipswich Town, Brentford, Man United, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Wolves.
"I think all of them, apart from Man United, are in the bottom half of the table. So you have to take that into account.
"Maybe the schedule has been good for us, but there are a lot of difficult teams that we have to face. And if we can do that after playing those teams, let's see where we are," added the Dutchman.
Slot has reason to be worried as Liverpool prepare for a challenging run of Premier League, Champions League and League Cup matches between now and Christmas, and this is the stage to prove Slot's talent and mettle.
Liverpool have games against in-form sides Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton and Aston Villa before the international break in November.
According to Opta's fixture difficulty analysis, based on the strength of each team, Liverpool have had the fourth-toughest run of fixtures in that period.
Looking further ahead with 10 matches, the "Red Brigade" still has to face Man City, Newcastle, Everton and Tottenham. Of which, the last 3 matches, Liverpool will have to play away. Among the teams competing for the Premier League title this season, The Kop is considered to have the most difficult schedule.
Not only that, Liverpool also have a challenging schedule in November. They will face Brighton in the League Cup, as well as Champions League matches against Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid.
Only when the above challenging period ends will Liverpool fans have the most realistic view of the team's strength under Slot.
