Arne Slot impact moving Liverpool closer to Chelsea and Man City nightmare scenario

Arne Slot has barely been in the dugout three months and already has Liverpool supporters dreaming of silverware. Against expectations an incredible start to the season has put them on track to achieve this, though they must also be aware of one so-called negative aspect that is the price of success.

The transition between legendary manager Jurgen Klopp to new head coach Arne Slot could hardly have gone smoother. Liverpool top of the Premier League after 10 matches, lead the new Champions League format at the halfway stage and are into the Carabao Cup last eight with 14 out of 16 matches won in all three competitions.

Where many followers of the club would have hoped for at least the maintaining of last season's levels, the Dutchman in charge is daring to inspire the achievement of more in his first season with the club.

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However, competing for the highest of honours means to make sacrifices, as rivals Manchester City and Chelsea are finding out this season.

Focusing on the Reds current run in the Champions League, they remain the only unbeaten team in the competition now after this midweek's round of fixtures. Depending on how far they go in that competition will determine not only their ranking amongst their rivals this season, but in UEFA's overall coefficient ranking system too.

A club competing in any UEFA competition will have a coefficient score, which is totalled up over the current season plus the four prior seasons, with points awarded based on performance in Europe. Given their strong start to life under Slot Liverpool have the joint-most accumulated points in 2024/25 alongside Aston Villa, according to Transfermarkt, having scored 12.000 so far.

And judged from the 2020/21 campaign through to now, their overall total is 108.000 - the fourth-highest of any active European club. Only Man City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich sit above.

This can be viewed as an honour to be rated so highly amongst their rivals, especially now that there is a reward for it. As FIFA recently revamped the Club World Cup into a 32-team quadrennial summer tournament, it is the top 12 teams in this continent's coefficient ranking that get nominated to take part.

As Liverpool's rivals Man City won their first Champions League title in 2023 and Chelsea won their second two years prior, they ranked so highly that they were one of the 12 selected.

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Early estimates have stated that clubs who just gain entry to tournament will earn €50m (£41.4m) at worst, then on top of that there will be performance bonuses. The overall winner is expected to bag themselves a whopping €100m (£82.9m) on top of that - the challenge just being to win seven matches.

Liverpool have missed the boat to earn such riches next year, though as long as Slot's team keep up the form they have displayed since August for the next few years ahead, they would have a strong chance of making it to the 2029 edition.

But amidst a crowded schedule as is, the Club World Cup is becoming a controversial subject.

Man City - who have already seen several players including Rodri and Kevin de Bruyne injured this campaign - and Chelsea are being ordered by FIFA to go to the United States with full strength teams once the domestic season has ended, and a set of June international fixtures has taken place.

In the worst of scenarios, were any of their players to feature in every single match available to them for club and country this campaign - including the Club World Cup - they would be playing 84 matches in the 2024/25 campaign. Then they would have to consider starting the next season only a few weeks later.

A few days ago Guardiola - who earlier in the season confirmed his club had requested the postponement of August 2025 matches to allow them a longer break - blasted: "In previous seasons, we played many games. If we reach the later stages of the Club World Cup, we’ll play over 70. 70 games is like the NBA, but they have four months of vacation, and we have three weeks. When that happens, you have injuries for a long time."

This nightmare is still a long way away for Slot and Liverpool, and for now they can dream about getting their hands on silverware in this term and this term alone. But as the smart club they have proven themselves to be, this chain of events is one they will have to observe and be ready for, given that they are hardly immune to fitness concerns.

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