Liverpool fans will love what happened after Arne Slot's first loss as Feyenoord manager
Liverpool's defeat by Nottingham Forest on Saturday was a reality check for the Reds.
Arne Slot made a remarkable start to life at Anfield with three successive Premier League wins, seven goals scored and none conceded. The 3-0 win at Old Trafford prior to the international break is the pick of the season's results so far and had many thinking that Liverpool might actually have skipped the transitional phase that was bound to follow Jurgen Klopp's retirement.
Of course, the loss to Forest is just one result, but it reminded us all that there will be bumps along the road this season, and games where things just won't click.
Arne Slot could make five changes vs AC Milan in the Champions League
Gary Neville recalls Liverpool controversy after incident in Spurs vs Arsenal
Although the Liverpool job is by far the biggest one of Slot's career, he has plenty of experience from his previous roles, and in his early days at Feyenoord he demonstrated his ability to bounce back from setbacks.
Feyenoord suffered defeat in Slot's third Eredivisie match in charge back in August 2021, losing 3-1 to Utrecht. In Feyenoord's next league match, though, Slot and his team travelled away to Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven and won 4-0.
However, Liverpool fans hoping for an immediate bounce-back in the Champions League this week might want to stop reading now. Feyenoord's first match in all competitions after that loss to Utrecht was a 0-0 draw with Maccabi Haifa in the Europa League.
Feyenoord did, however, go on to reach the Europa League final that season, and Liverpool fans would no doubt snatch your hand off for a spot in the Champions League final come May 2025.
Back to the league form, though, and throughout the 2021-22 Dutch league season, Feyenoord did not suffer successive losses, bouncing back from defeat six times, winning four and drawing two of those games.
Feyenoord ended up finishing the 2021-22 season in third place, before winning the Dutch league title the following year for only the second time in the 21st century as Slot's impact was keenly felt.