Liverpool contract news is brilliant - and there's no doubt about Arne Slot now
If it wasn’t clear already, there can now be absolutely no doubt. This is very much Arne Slot’s Liverpool team.
We are getting used to watching a different kind of football from the Reds now. No longer do we play like we did under Jurgen Klopp, when there was a lot of gegenpressing, plenty of energy and the occasional bouts of chaos.
During the first couple of games under Slot, I thought his style wasn’t too dissimilar to that of his predecessor. But it definitely is now. The Dutchman would appear to prefer a very strategic and more worked-out approach, and given Liverpool are top of the Premier League it’s obvious that it’s working.
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I know some people have been saying the start to the season has been easy for us, but we’ve had some difficult games. Look at how Manchester City struggled to win at Wolves at the weekend, given we won there last month in a far more comfortable manner. And we beat Bournemouth at Anfield, who saw off Arsenal at home at the weekend.
Yes, there was the one-off defeat against Nottingham Forest, but that came directly after the international break. And while I think the effects of tiredness are largely mental and can be ignored, there's no doubt national team duty can check momentum.
There was a bit of that in the opening 20 minutes but once Slot was booked for kicking the ball away, the Anfield crowd ignited and Liverpool fed off that. It generated a good atmosphere, and it showed the impact the support can have on the players. They really kicked on before half-time, getting the goal and could easily have had at least one more.
When the home crowd wakes up, Anfield is a massive positive for Liverpool. It’s a corny saying, but they really are the 12th man. It’s the truth. And every away team who gets caught up in a whirlwind like that knows it.
The game against Chelsea was intriguing and, in some ways, was a clash of styles. Chelsea are a decent team, but they should be given the amount of money spent on the squad in the last few years.
It’s impossible, though, not to talk about the game without mentioning the referee. John Brooks had an absolute shocker.
While the officials probably got the big decisions in the game right, so many 50-50 calls were plain wrong. No wonder we witnessed the rare sight of Slot losing his cool on the touchline. Clearly, that’s what Brooks can do to people.
Van Dijk is real boost
It’s brilliant news that Liverpool have opened talks with Virgil van Dijk over a new contract. The big Dutchman has been outstanding this season.
As players get older, not only do supporters and managers wonder how long they can go on for, but the player themselves will be wondering what is left in the tank.
And so far this campaign, Van Dijk has properly rolled back the years. It’s almost like he has been re-energised by Arne Slot coming in and perhaps having somebody new to prove himself to.
Football at the highest level isn’t always about money. The very best players are handsomely rewarded, particularly if they have spent as long at the top as Van Dijk has.
This is more about whether he feels he can still cut it. And it looks like it will be a while before the centre-back is ready to step away. Liverpool is the best place for him to continue.
And another major bonus is that, as with Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold - who are also out of contract at the end of the season - Van Dijk isn’t letting the speculation or any uncertainty affect his game. They’ve been three of Liverpool’s best players so far this campaign.