Joe Cole makes 'unique' claim over how Arne Slot has dealt with Liverpool team
Arne Slot cannot possibly have dreamed his start at Liverpool would be so good. His side remains firmly in the running on four fronts, including leading the way in the Premier League and Champions League — and Joe Cole thinks the Dutchman has overseen something unique.
Six points clear of Arsenal in the Premier League table with a game in hand, Liverpool looks on track to claim a 20th top-flight title, cementing its status as the most successful club in the country. Few would have predicted that when Slot took over from Jurgen Klopp, a legendary figure who was expected to leave a big hole.
But rather than creating a vacuum, Klopp appears to have laid foundations, with Slot empowered to succeed straight away despite not making any major additions to the squad. Sure enough, the trait Cole has spotted is partly a legacy of Klopp's time at the helm.
READ MORE: Liverpool could face nightmare Champions League draw as path to final becomes clearer
"What I find unique with Liverpool is the amount of quality and depth in their squad," said Cole on TNT Sports, as Liverpool secured victory over Lille in the Champions League in midweek. "I don’t know how they’ve done it.
"The emergence of Jones, Elliott tonight having an impact. Players like Nunez, who's been out in the cold, coming in and impacting Premier League games."
This trio, of course, was nurtured under Klopp. Harvey Elliott was actually far more involved in the German's final season than he has been under Slot (although injury accounts for some of that), while Curtis Jones was gradually promoted from the Academy ranks on his watch.
As for Darwin Nunez, he was a signing for whom Klopp pushed. Neither he nor Slot has quite managed to get a tune out of him, but there's no denying that he is a luxury player to have in reserve, always capable of producing something.
What Slot has done is make expert use of every last one of the players at his disposal. Following Elliott's goal against Lille, Liverpool substitutes have scored in four games running for the first time since the Rafa Benitez era.
That's not to say this was a weakness of Klopp's. In fact, he was setting substitute records of his own as recently as last season, when goal contributions off the bench were higher than ever for much of the campaign.
But whatever it is that has changed, Slot appears to constantly have a trick up his sleeve. He seems to have found the formula for almost every puzzle, picking his personnel to perfection to pick the locks that the team comes up against.
“In the whole of Europe, they are the most equipped," Cole eulogized. "Fighting on all fronts, have we started talking about the full package yet?"
If by that he means the quadruple, then Cole might need to slow down just a little. If nothing else, Liverpool has left itself with work to do against Spurs in the Carabao Cup semi-final.
But there is no denying that Liverpool looks like one of the most complete sides in Europe at the minute. Long may the plaudits continue.
