Arne Slot is only three competitive games into his Liverpool career but things couldn't have have gone any better so far . The best result was the 3-0 win away at Manchester United , but the wins over Ipswich Town and Brentford were impressive too.
We've got the thoughts of LFC Boston's Nick Sapia on a variety of topics. After the victory at Old Trafford, though, there was only ever going to be one place we could start.
That win against Manchester United... was that the day that the Arne Slot era ignited?
United being dreadful notwithstanding, Slot's in pretty good company after that match — first manager to win their opening game against Manchester United since Bob Paisley, and first to win their inaugural match at Old Trafford in 88 years. That's wildly impressive, as it's not easy to win there, regardless of where the teams are at. Heck, even Jurgen Klopp only won there twice.
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There are harder tests to come, though, for sure. The Champions League schedule is really difficult, and there are some brutal stretches of fixtures ( Real Madrid , Manchester City, Newcastle, and Everton in a 10-day span, to name just one). How he navigates the squad through the meat of the season will really show us what Slot's Liverpool are made of. It's off to a great start, though, and it's hard not to be really excited.
What have you made of the new head coach in general so far?
I'm wildly impressed. From the outset in pre-season, it was clear that Slot had a vision and system he wanted to implement, and it's worked to perfection so far. I'm also impressed with his communication — clear, precise, and direct. Watching him on Sky after the United match very calmly and succinctly breaking down how Manchester United plays and how he set the team up to exploit them was impressive (and also kind of funny when you contrast him against Ten Hag).
It's a small sample size, but Liverpool has significantly reduced the number of big chances conceded while still creating plenty of quality scoring chances of their own. They're finishing those chances better. They look especially dangerous again on the counterattack, a welcome throwback to the swashbuckling days of 2017-2018 under Klopp. It's clear Slot is a top-class coach, and Liverpool are in good hands.
Mohamed Salah had plenty to say about his contract situation afterward. Are you worried? What do you want to see happen next?
Yeah, not quite what I expected to hear after the match. I'm not overly worried about it yet. I took Salah's comments as a plea to the club to come to the negotiation table. It's understandable why they may not have been able to have significant discussions yet — it's been a busy summer with a new manager and new front office. Still, with the transfer window now closed, it's time for the club to get to work on this.
It's generally regarded as Michael Edwards' policy not to hand contracts to players over 30. Still, surely the club's analytics department will be able to see Salah's sustained output level and know that this isn't your standard aging footballer. They should also know that you can't just go out into the market and seamlessly replace the goals and assists from that position. He's already shown that, as he's lost some of the pace from his early Liverpool years, he's been able to adapt his game into more of a playmaker role when needed. Salah isn't just any old 32-year-old, and he shouldn't be treated as such.
The supporter in me wants Salah to stay forever, and I'd always rather have a club legend stay one year too long rather than leave a year earlier. Some will point to Jordan Henderson's contract as an example of why you don't sign aging vets to contract extensions. Still, for me, the mistake wasn't in handing Jordan a new contract — it was the lack of other options available in midfield once the entire unit started to malfunction.
For me, that issue has been addressed with Salah. He's been incredibly reliable, and I feel that last season's injury was an anomaly. Either way, the club now has Federico Chiesa , who should be a highly effective understudy to Salah — one that can allow the club to manage Mo's minutes more effectively across the next few seasons. Given the shrewdness of the Chiesa move, the club should be comfortable taking on a bit more risk with a Salah contract extension. I'd like a two- or three-year extension offered, as he'll be productive throughout most of that contract.
What was your verdict on the summer transfer window?
Given everything else going on, it probably made sense that this window would be quiet. Like I said, I'm really excited about Chiesa — it's a shrewd move that gives Liverpool some insurance with Salah and gives the team a lot of attacking options. Giorgi Mamardashvili feels like a savvy signing too, even if we won't see him in red for a while. Ideally, I would have loved to see another defender come in: a left-sided one who could have allowed Virgil more rest while learning from the big fella.
I was disappointed about Martin Zubimendi only because I think he would have given Liverpool a lot of options in midfield, especially as the games start to come thick and fast. That said, once it fell through, I definitely wasn't someone who thought Liverpool needed to sign any old defensive midfielder just to get one in. Slot has shown he isn't likely to play a lone defensive midfielder like Klopp did.
The double-pivot in midfield has been really effective, mainly because Ryan Gravenberch has really impressed so far this season, but I also think that Slot has a lot of options there — I could really see any combination of Alexis Mac Allister , Curtis Jones , and Dominik Szoboszlai playing those roles in a way that would be effective against the vast majority of opponents Liverpool will face this season. Setting aside the contract situations for a minute, it ultimately was a fine, if unspectacular, window.
Anything else to mention?
We talked about Salah's contract, but the same level of urgency needs to be taken with Virgil van Dijk's contract, too. He's one of the best to ever play his position, still performs at an elite level, and is the club captain. He needs a new deal.
I think Trent's situation is slightly different in that the ball is in Trent's court. I'm not entirely surprised that he may want to give it some time under the new manager to see how things go, but I was reassured watching the United match. It's clear how much it meant to him and how much he enjoyed it: the Stevie G celebration and the cheeky three-finger salute to the supporters after the match.
Undoubtedly, he could go on to major success at a place like Real Madrid, but could it match the highs at Liverpool? Hopefully his head is in the same place.
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