Ange Postecoglou has CLEAR WARNING for Arne Slot's Liverpool as 'true test' approaches

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Anfield Watch

·6 September 2024

Ange Postecoglou has CLEAR WARNING for Arne Slot's Liverpool as 'true test' approaches

To say Liverpool’s start to life under Arne Slot has been good would be a bit of an understatement.

The transition from Jurgen Klopp to the Dutch tactician has been seamless. The Reds enjoyed an almost faultless pre-season under the former Feyenoord boss, despite several senior players arriving back late following their exploits at the Euros and Copa America.

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Liverpool have had a perfect start to the 2024/25 Premier League season, winning all three of their games and yet are yet to concede. The Reds are currently joint-top along with rivals Manchester City as the only two teams to have taken maximum points so far this term.

Everything appears to be sustainable too. Granted, we’re only three games into the season and the opposition - Ipswich Town, Brentford and Manchester United - haven’t been the greatest, all the signs are positive.

Slot’s men are joint-top with Manchester City for Expected Goals (7.1). At their current rate, they are on target to finish the season with an Expected Goals haul of 89.9. That sort of threat is usually enough for a title challenge.

The Merseysiders are top for Big Chances Created with 16, five more than their closest rivals Man City. And defensively, the numbers are just as encouraging.

Only the reigning champions (two) and Nottingham Forest (2.1) have a lower Expected Goals Conceded total than Liverpool (2.4). At their current rate, Liverpool are on course to finish the season with an xG Conceded haul of 30.4. Again, title-winning numbers.

But are things going a little too well for the Reds?

For example, we’re yet to see how this group under this manager react to a setback. We’re yet to see what happens when they concede a goal in a competitive match. We’re yet to see how Slot juggles the squad when there are two matches per week to plan for.

We’ve seen how this team does when they’re able to control matches. What happens when they have to chase them? What happens when the 45-year-old needs to change the game?

He reacted swiftly to bring Jarell Quansah off at half-time against Ipswich, but that was to help win the game rather than salvage something.

Arne Slot Luis Diaz Liverpool

The truth is, we just don’t know enough about this group to know whether they have the mental fortitude for a title challenge just yet. So while the start may be exceptional, expectations need to be reined in a little, as boring as that sounds.

Spurs under Ange Postecoglou are a good example of why good starts can be deceptive

Last term, the former Celtic boss got Tottenham off to a fantastic start in the English top-flight. They went on a 10-match unbeaten run to kick off the campaign, winning eight of those. They looked like early title contenders. In fact, some pundits genuinely had them as the team to rival City for the crown.

They then won just 12 of their next 28 Premier League matches. They claimed 40 points during this period at a rate of 1.42 per game. Had that been their pace for the entire season, they would’ve racked up 54 points.

For context, West Ham finished ninth with 52 points last term. So after their blistering start, Tottenham’s form was that of a mid-table team.

They eventually claimed a fifth place finish with 66 points. They missed out on Champions League football by two points.

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Everyone was raving about Spurs while things were going well, but it wasn’t until they’d suffered a setback that you got to see what their actual level was. That isn’t to say the same thing will happen with Liverpool.

The Reds possess a better squad. Their players have a better mentality and the squad is littered with winners, but the Spurs scenario should be a warning that bubbles can quickly burst, narratives can rapidly change and seasons can shift in an instant.

The trust test for Slot and his players will be over the coming weeks when the Reds have mid-week games to contend with. It’ll be interesting to see how he rotates his squad and how he manages the minutes of key players.

Up until now, he’s been able to name a set starting XI and make the same substitutions in a lot of matches for continuity. If he can keep the momentum going with this group, it’ll be a successful campaign. If it halts, the pressure will be on to see how he addresses it.

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