Liverpool seem willing to exert greater control over Slot’s more studied taste than they did in those days when so many victories were tied after a wild tour with Klopp.
This should in no way be taken as an affront to the German, who left at the end of last season after a magical nine years as boss, but Slot’s first statistics are tremendously notable: the home defeat against Nottingham Woodland in September was the only blot. in your file.
This was Slot’s 10th win in 11 games, his highest in any campaign since 1990-91, when then-manager Kenny Dalglish had a similar record. Throughout the Premier League’s run, Manchester Town’s first player, Pep Guardiola, to win his first 10 suits, has achieved that same number of wins in all competitions with fewer suits than Slot.
For anyone entrusted with the huge task of succeeding an Anfield icon like Klopp, Slot has carried it off with ease in his quiet, understated manner.
Chelsea’s final touch rate of 88.1% was the highest recorded, since 2003-04, by any visiting team at Anfield in a Premier League match. And yet, a few past scares aside, Liverpool issued a vigilant whiff about what is quickly becoming a Slot hallmark.
Maresca’s team may have had the ball however Liverpool were out, with assistant goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher replacing the injured Alisson, rarely affected.
Liverpool’s passing accuracy of 85.9% this season is significantly higher than Klopp’s last campaign (85.8%), a date in which Slot’s team is playing fewer long balls depending on the game, 22.6 compared to to 25.3 in the last period. If some statistics are homogeneous, there is a marked residual in passes made into the field, with 39.3 per game below Klopp last season and 28.9 below Slot.
And there will be a more structured defensive look at Slot’s Liverpool, with the stats suggesting they are pressing much less aggressively this season. They regained ownership of their third attacking spot 6.1 times based on last season’s play, by which time that figure has now dropped to 4.3 times.
Liverpool were fourth in the league by that measure in Klopp’s farewell campaign. This season, below Slot, they are in ninth place.
