Liverpool showed a solid performance at Anfield, scoring two goals and winning with a clean sheet, even against Real Madrid, who have attracted talented young players from Europe and Brazil in recent years. At the moment, they are top of the Premier League and Champions League.
Manager Arne Slot, who took over the team from Jurgen Klopp and tinkered with the midfield structure, has maintained a good start in the early part of the season. Although he is approaching a period of fatigue and injuries, expectations from supporters are growing.
Former England midfielder Steve McManaman, who played for Liverpool and Real Madrid during his playing days, is not hiding his surprise at the good results so far. While noting that the German’s team was rock solid to begin with, he also paid tribute to the new manager’s skills.
“I thought that it would be seamless to be honest. I didn’t expect the results to go as well as they have done. I expected a blip every now and then, the fact it’s only happened to Nottingham Forest and Arsenal away, that is very surprising,”
“The fact they’ve been so dominant in the league, they’ve had a bit of fortune with other teams dropping points, but he’s [Slot] been excellent.”
“I thought the sporting directors would bring in the type of manager who would match the team. They were not going to bring in a manager who was going to change the starting 11, change the way they play or the formation.”
“The team last year were excellent up until April, they were vying for all the trophies. So I didn’t expect them to collapse just because a manager has gone.”
“You know that if a manager goes out the door and someone comes in, you don’t automatically throw in the towel. As a professional, you want to win every single game and that’s what Liverpool do. But the level of results has surprised me.”
TNT Sports