Arne Slot has surpassed expectation in his first six months at Anfield, as Liverpool sit top of the Premier League, Champions League and are in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup.

The Dutchman has had minimal investment in his squad, the only signings being Giorgi Mamardashvili, who is currently still with Valencia and Italian winger Federico Chiesa. So how has the former Feyenoord boss taken what is essentially Jurgen Klopp’s old team to the next level?

Slot’s tactics can be summed up as a blend between his predecessor Jurgen Klopp, ex-Everton man Carlo Ancelotti and Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola. The Dutchman has been referred to as a ‘Guardiola Disciple,’ grouping him with the likes of Xabi Alonso, Enzo Maresca and Mikel Arteta.

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In a slight pivot to Klopp’s high intensity, ‘Gegenpress,’ Slot has deployed a more calculated pressing system. Liverpool no longer jump man to man to win the ball high, they now use a zonal pressing model which is seen as high risk, high reward.

As witnessed in the 2-0 win over Brentford, if the zonal press is not executed perfectly, it can be escaped by opposing sides, which led to Bryan Mbeumo having a handful of chances on Alisson Becker’s goal.

However, if executed perfectly, they can apply pressure in dangerous areas while keeping a numerical advantage defensively.

A key to this plan is Liverpool’s number eight, Dominik Szoboszlai. The Hungarian initiates the press with Mohamed Salah, the usual right-winger, and the striker. One of the full-backs also push up to trap the opposition down one flank.

If the press fails and the opposition goes long, Liverpool’s defensive partnership of Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are exceptional at winning aerial duels, or beating attackers in a foot race, leading to the ball being turned over.

The Pep Guardiola comparisons come through Arne Slot’s attacking play. The Dutchman likes to create wide triangles between the winger, full-back, and midfield player.

These players have the license to interchange allowing dangerous moments offensively but keeping the players deeper to deal with transitions.

The Ancelotti comparison comes in Slot’s adaptability and tinkering his system to match the qualities of his players. The best example of this comes in the shape of Liverpool’s vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Rather than allowing the Englishman to invert, as we saw in Jurgen Klopp’s later teams, Alexander-Arnold is played in his best position, as a full-back facing the game, to allow his long switches of play and dangerous crosses to prosper.

These attributes have helped Liverpool win games when struggling to break down a low block, as seen in the matches against Brentford and Newcastle United.

Slot’s in-game management is clearly a huge strength, with his ability to change his team based on the game-state is exceptional.

This attribute can be seen against Fulham, when he consistently tweaked positions such as that of Ryan Gravenberch, which allowed Liverpool to fight back while having 10-men.

Another example of this is during a top of the table clash with Nottingham Forest, taking Konate off allowed for Liverpool to change their formation to 3-2-2-3. Slot deployed a ‘box-midfield’ with Gravenberch at the base. This helped pull Forest around the pitch centrally, allowing the Reds more control.

Slot has certainly impressed so far in the Liverpool dugout; however, he could still improve with signings that match the profile of player he desires in certain positions. The summer transfer window will be key to see the evolution of the Dutchman's Liverpool side.