Arne Slot is making a mockery of Arsenal and Man City excuses as Liverpool run continues

Arne Slot has enjoyed a remarkable start to life as Liverpool head coach, winning 14 of his first 16 matches. Off the back of such form, his side are currently top of both the Premier League and Champions League tables.

Hosting Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday night, the Reds will be looking to retain top spot heading into the November international break. Barring an emphatic Man City win away at Brighton in the 5.30pm kick-off, a draw against the Villans would be enough to keep them in first.

Of course, Liverpool will be eyeing up maximum points as they continue to make a mockery of their ‘haven’t played anyone yet’ critics.

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A 4-0 thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen in midweek was arguably Slot’s most impressive result yet, given Xabi Alonso’s side are the reigning Bundesliga champions and were only a Europa League final defeat away from an invincible treble-winning campaign last year.

Yet a look at the Premier League table and their meeting with Villa will leave Man City as the only side in the current top six they are yet to face so far this season.

Despite their eye-catching start to the campaign, you won’t find Liverpool getting carried away anytime soon. Being top of the Premier League table in November means nothing if you aren’t still there at the end of May.

But what makes their start even more impressive as Slot navigates his opening months at Anfield is the fact that all title rivals are slipping up.

While the Reds dismantled Leverkusen in such emphatic fashion on Tuesday night, they were the only Premier League side to avoid defeat.

Man City suffered a shock 4-1 defeat away at Sporting Lisbon the same night, while Arsenal and Aston Villa would lose 1-0 away at Inter Milan and Club Brugge respectively on Wednesday.

The trio can point to a lack of home advantage as part of the reasoning behind such losses, but they aren’t isolated defeats with the trio currently all suffering mini-blips on the pitch.

Man City have lost their last three matches in all competitions, with defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and AFC Bournemouth preceding the loss to Sporting.

Arsenal have lost their last two matches, having suffered a 1-0 defeat away at Newcastle United last week, while they are winless in four of their last six outings courtesy of a 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth and a 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool.

Meanwhile, Villa are now on a run of four games without a win, having drawn 1-1 at home to Bournemouth before losing 2-1 at home to Aston Villa and 4-1 away at Tottenham Hotspur prior to their trip to Brugge.

But while their rivals have slipped up on their travels, the Reds have won seven of Slot’s eight away games with the aforementioned draw at Arsenal the only blemish so far.

Admittedly, in recent weeks both the Gunners and Man City have been vocal about injuries that have supposedly decimated their squads.

Yet heading into the final round of Premier League fixtures ahead of the November international break and there is little to choose between the pair and Liverpool in terms of absentees.

According to Premier Injuries, Arsenal and City both currently have five players out injured. In contrast, the Reds are without four players as things stand.

Yet two of the Gunners’ absentees (Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard) are expected to be fit for their clash with Chelsea on Sunday. Meanwhile, the remaining three injured players are anticipated to be back shortly after the international break.

Man City are currently without one long-term absentee in Oscar Bobb, but at least two of their injured players are also expected back when club football resumes later this month.

All four of Liverpool’s current injured players (Alisson Becker, Federico Chiesa, Harvey Elliott and Diogo Jota), have been tipped to return following the next round of internationals, as things stand, after lengthy absences.

City and Arsenal’s injury woes have admittedly started to ease up in recent days, yet such struggles were never considerably worse than the Reds despite their bleating.

Liverpool have seen eight players miss Premier League or Champions League matches so far this season because of injury or illness. Arsenal and Man City’s own total of absentees stands at 11.

It’s true that the pair have not had things all their own way this season and they aren’t performing at their best. But, the same is true of Slot’s side. The difference is the Reds are continuing to find a way to pick up results regardless.

Arsenal and Man City have their excuses for their indifferent form, but Liverpool continue to quietly go about their business. They won’t be getting carried away by their start, but credit where it’s due, it is arguably even more impressive than first given credit for.

While their rivals might currently be struggling to keep pace, the Reds’ form is everything to do with their own strengths rather than their opponents’ mitigating circumstances - despite what their rose-tinted reasoning might have you think.