Top of the Premier League with a 100% away record, plus an equally flawless return in the Champions League, Liverpool players must have been content when filing into the daily meeting with Arne Slot before their trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday. They were quickly reminded that no comfort zone exists under their new head coach, however, as he pinpointed the improvement that must be attained and sustained to bridge the gap on Manchester City.
Liverpool collected 48 points at Anfield last season, a better home tally than any other team in the division. City and Arsenal both won 47. But away from home, Liverpool took 34 points compared with City’s 44 as Pep Guardiola’s side finished nine points clear of Jürgen Klopp’s rebuilt team and claimed a record-breaking fourth league title in succession. Slot’s latest debrief went straight to the point of those damaging lost points.
“If you are purely looking at it from a data point of view then it was a 10-point difference between the away games of City last season and ours, and the [final] gap was nine,” said Slot. “If you look at the home form of both teams it’s the same. The $10m question is why is this? I think there are areas we have to improve and that is why it is so important to take control over every game, not only the home games but the away ones too. We have to be very dominant in away games, that is why I wasn’t very happy with the first 20 minutes at Wolves.”
That aside Slot can have no complaints about Liverpool’s results on the road under him, with Ipswich, Manchester United, Milan and Wolves beaten by an aggregate score of 10-2. The Anfield club have also won eight and drawn one of their last nine visits to Selhurst Park, and the last time Liverpool won their opening four away league games of a season, in 2019-20, they went on to win the title.
Slot believes the atmosphere away from home, transmitting greater conviction and confidence into the home team, is one reason for the disparity in Liverpool’s results last season. Not that the away form was particularly bad. “I think the home and away games of Liverpool were quite similar but in general it is tougher to play away because the home fans cheer very hard if their team gets a chance and their players get more confidence from that,” he said. “That’s why it’s so important [to quieten the crowd]. Don’t lose a simple ball, don’t give away a corner kick, don’t let a cross in, don’t give them anything they can cheer for.”
Slot’s more possession-based style gives Liverpool a platform to control the game as well as the volume. It starts with the defence. Liverpool players have stated regularly this season that there are few differences between the approaches of Slot and Klopp. Virgil van Dijk, however, admits he has been given more responsibility on the ball by his Dutch compatriot. “He has asked a lot of me but I like that,” explained the Liverpool captain. “He knows that I am very comfortable on the ball at the back. I have different weapons. I can play a 60– to 70-yard pass but I am also comfortable breaking the lines and if you have players there that can be in the right position like we have then it speeds things up and helps.
“I definitely have that responsibility. It all starts with me, Ali[sson] and Ibou [Ibrahima Konaté] to hopefully create a good attack. It has been a big change for me because obviously over the years we played a certain way under Jürgen and very successfully. You keep that and stick to that principle. Things have changed in terms of having more responsibility for starting attacks and I am enjoying it. It is another string to my bow.”
But Slot does not want possession for possession’s sake. It must be to hurt the opposition and, in the case of a Palace team without a Premier League win this season, to exploit any anxiety at Selhurst Park. “It is important to control a game,” stressed Slot. “It is also important to create chances. There are ways to keep the crowd quiet and that is creating chances yourself or press them really high and force them to make mistakes. That’s what no crowd likes to see.
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“The other way is for us to have the ball for longer periods of time because then they cannot create anything. But there is no sake in only keeping the ball. We have to create. Maybe if they play a lower league team and that team has the ball, the fans start booing. But if Liverpool comes and we have the ball they’re like: ‘No problem, we are still going to support our team.’ That’s the extra challenge you have as a top club, that fans of the opponent will support them longer than they would against a lower league table team.
“Everyone looks forward to it the whole week: ‘Liverpool are coming.’ The players are all up for it and that is why it is tough, especially after a Champions League game, against a team that has had a whole week to prepare. But the good thing is normally if you are Liverpool, or one or two other clubs, you have great individuals at your disposal as well.”