How leaders Liverpool are evolving under Slot

Football writer Alex Keble analyses Arne Slot's strong start at Liverpool and whether the Reds can stay top of the table.

Liverpool are top of the league with five wins from six matches and four clean sheets: Arne Slot has enjoyed a near-perfect start to life as a Premier League head coach.

Premier League

Position Pos	Club	Played Pl	GD	Points Pts
1	Liverpool LIV	6	+10	15
2	Man City MCI	6	+8	14
3	Arsenal ARS	6	+7	14
4	Chelsea CHE	6	+8	13
5	Aston Villa AVL	6	+3	13

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But have Liverpool really adapted to Slot’s football, or are they relying on muscle memory from their time under Jurgen Klopp and a kind run of opening fixtures?

The answer, inevitably, is somewhere in the middle. 

And it’s in the middle – where Slot has found a new midfield trio to anchor his tactics – that we find the best evidence of an evolution under way.

Gravenberch reborn under Slot

In last weekend's 2-1 victory over Wolves, Ryan Gravenberch became the first Premier League player since April 2012 to contest more than five duels in a match with 100 per cent success (he won eight), make three or more tackles with 100 per cent success (he won three) AND also make 50+ passes with 90+ per cent accuracy (he completed 57 out of 62).

That might be a little convoluted as stats go, but what it captures is the variety of his influence and the tranquil calm with which he is controlling the Liverpool midfield.

Gravenberch is a man reborn – “more comfortable”, in his own words – under his compatriot Slot, who has swapped Klopp’s directness for control; urgency for slow possession recycling.

We can see in this table just a snapshot of the many statistical measures that capture Gravenberch’s ability to calmly control proceedings, slowing the tempo when needed or ramping it up with those mazy dribbles through the middle.

Gravenberch's rank among PL midfielders 24/25

He is benefiting from the double pivot that Slot uses as part of a 4-2-3-1, which has the added solidity of No 10 Dominik Szoboszlai regularly dropping back or swapping positions with Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister.

It’s a fluid three, but one that's synchronised and already benefiting from the rigid positional instructions from Slot, in contrast to the freedom given by Klopp.

This gives Liverpool a stronger base to screen against counter-attacks when the ball is turned over, while also ensuring players have consistent short passing options – hence their control of possession and reduced risk-taking.

The clearest example of the style shift is Liverpool’s progressive passes, which have fallen from 55.5 per 90 last season to 45.3 per 90 this campaign. That’s a drop of 18 per cent.

Both Mac Allister and Szoboszlai are attempting fewer progressive passes than last season, while both have improved their passing accuracy.

As a consequence, Liverpool have conceded the fewest goals in the league, with two, and have the lowest Expected Goals Against, with 4.52.

Klopp's style still present, by accident or design

These changes aren’t particularly pronounced, and indeed on a number of metrics associated with the distinctions between Klopp and Slot there is no notable change.

This might simply reflect a small sample size, although the eye test suggests something else: the midfield three have been tamed but the rest of the team are still finding Klopp-like ways to attack.

The symbol of this intriguing halfway house is Trent Alexander-Arnold, who continues to roam freely between a right-back and a No 8 role, spraying high-risk passes into dangerous areas.

Liverpool are at a midpoint at the moment, with a fast-paced front three still attacking directly, but anchored by a midfield pulling on the reins.

Only time will tell whether the players are still shaking out the muscle memory of Klopp’s coaching or whether Slot is deliberately finding a balance between the old and the new.

Tougher matches will test the fine balance

Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 win at Anfield this season is, of course, the caveat to all of this. It is an outlier, and yet it contains the seed of a problem.

Liverpool could not move the ball quickly enough to break down Nuno Espirito Santo’s low block, raising concerns about the slower pace of Slot’s football, while Forest’s counter-attacking winner poked familiar holes.

Meanwhile, fast-transitioning AFC Bournemouth had 19 shots against Liverpool in their 3-0 defeat last week.

For now, there is nothing to worry about. 

Ibrahima Konate has matured at the back to create a formidable centre-back pairing with Virgil van Dijk. The former tops the Premier League charts for aerial duel success with 84.6 per cent, and Gravenberch is controlling the middle of the park.

But with Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa among the next five Premier League opponents, arguably the real test is yet to come.

Liverpool

12:30 Sat 05 Oct CRY (A) 16:30 Sun 20 Oct CHE (H) 16:30 Sun 27 Oct ARS (A) 15:00 Sat 02 Nov BHA (H) 20:00 Sat 09 Nov AVL (H)

Liverpool

12:30 Sat 05 Oct CRY (A) 16:30 Sun 20 Oct CHE (H) 16:30 Sun 27 Oct ARS (A) 15:00 Sat 02 Nov BHA (H) 20:00 Sat 09 Nov AVL (H)