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Cody Gakpo shares Arne Slot's title stance after Liverpool pulled clear of Man City
Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to five points by beating Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield on Saturday. Speaking before the game, forward Cody Gakpo revealed Arne Slot’s outlook on the title race and his level headed-approach.
But it’s hard for Reds fans not to get excited at the moment. Liverpool have taken 16 points from its last six Premier League games when no other side in the division has more than 10 in that period. Slot’s side are the form team in the title race and it isn’t remotely close.
Similarly, the Reds have become the sixth side to have a lead of at least five points at this stage of a Premier League season. Every such team that went before them won the title. But there is still a very long way to go, as Gakpo rightfully acknowledged.
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"No, it’s still very early,” he said (via Goal). “Ultimately we are just doing well. The coach looks at every match as if we have not played another match yet. He demands 100% from us in every match.
“We do not look at the rankings, but at things that we have to do better. It is also his strength how he conveys that. We just have to win matches, because we know how difficult it can be," Gakpo added.
With about six months of the 2024/25 season remaining, it is a very sensible position to hold. After the international break, Liverpool travel to Southampton with their following league game at home to Manchester City. It would not take much to go wrong for the five-point advantage to be rapidly whittled away.
It is also healthy to focus on areas for improvement. On the results front, there is very little to add though. The Reds are the only side to have won all four Champions League matches so far this season. Prediction models give them a 95 per cent chance of being one of the automatic qualifiers for the Round of 16, which is very impressive when Opta rated Liverpool’s draw as the joint-second hardest of any club.
Based on the first 11 games, the Reds have made the 12th best start to a Premier League season, failing to win just twice. If matches were decided on expected goals, Liverpool would have a point extra with City having two fewer.
In other words, the Reds deserve to be even further ahead of their primary title rival. But that won’t count for a thing when they clash at the start of December. Gakpo’s comments on Slot’s view should reassure fans that he is fully focused on the challenges ahead.
