Liverpool is about to bust Premier League myth as Arne Slot faces 7-game reckoning

Arne Slot has repeated the same message a few times this season. To paraphrase the Liverpool boss: "We've not played anyone good yet."

It is, to some extent, true. Trips to Manchester United and AC Milan are not the daunting tasks that they once were, though that should not take away from the way that Liverpool made light work of both. The Reds have won nine out of the 10 competitive matches that Slot has overseen, with his cautious warning only passable thanks to the 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest .

Had Liverpool found a way to win that game, which came just after the September international break, it would have been a little harder to play down the start to the new era, whether Slot really means what he is saying or not.

Of course, it makes sense to dampen expectations to some degree — for Slot at least, if not the wider Premier League community who appear to have accepted such a narrative. Coming in to replace a legend in Jurgen Klopp , things have gone well so far, but there is no point getting ahead of yourself. Sooner rather than later, though, that won't still be possible.

If Liverpool continues to pick up points regularly, which it should be capable of doing even during a tougher-looking spell of games, then the suggestion that there is still stuff to prove will have far less credence. Chelsea is the first big test before trips to Leipzig and Arsenal , but none of those matches are fixtures where Liverpool should be scared.

A double-header with Brighton follows before matches at Anfield against Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa. In isolation, should it be a surprise if Liverpool wins any of those games? It would be a disappointment if it dropped points in more than two.

"The same churlish observation has been directed at both [Liverpool and Chelsea is] that "they have had a kind fixture schedule" which explains the signs of promise," Jamie Carragher wrote in his column for The Telegraph this week. "Slot has driven this bandwagon himself with regards to Liverpool’s first seven league games.

"But he is wrong to downplay the significance of any winning run. I do not like a trend creeping into our game where fans, pundits and perhaps even senior figures at top clubs start turning their noses up at so-called "routine wins". Every Premier League victory counts and must be earned."

He is right, of course. But more than that, Liverpool has shown enough signs that it should be able to match the very best teams in the division even without playing the top sides. It has faced almost a goal per game fewer than Manchester City, for instance, even if Pep Guardiola's side has already played Arsenal and Newcastle, while the Gunners have lost to Bournemouth and were fortunate against Leicester. Liverpool has made such games look easy, the one blip aside.

"Some wins may feel better emotionally or in terms of the confidence they bring, but there is no more value in terms of points," Carragher continued. "A top-four side can trip up against any team in the division. A title bid is not just about beating rivals or the perceived "bigger clubs". Manchester City failed to beat Arsenal and Liverpool last season but it did not stop them becoming champions."

There is still more for Liverpool to do, but the idea that what it has achieved up to this point should be downplayed is incorrect. In just a few games, starting this weekend against Chelsea, it will be able to prove precisely why.

"If you judge your team only on a week that would not be fair, so I think we have to judge us as a team after this spell of games, six, seven or eight of them," Slot said on Friday. "Then we will know better how we've acted, how we've performed in tough Champions League and Premier League fixtures."

In seven games, by which time the October international break will have arrived, Slot's team will hopefully no longer be able to stave off the expectations. This time next month, if things don't look drastically different, the Liverpool boss will need to accept the reality: that his team should be right in the conversation for every trophy.