The fortunes of Liverpool and Manchester City couldn’t be further apart at this moment in time.
Few would have believed Arne Slot would win anything like 17 of his first 19 games in charge, while nobody would have foreseen the predicament City find themselves in.
Liverpool’s dream start to the season continued this week, but it wasn’t just any normal win. Beating Real Madrid on Wednesday night produced another one of those magical Anfield nights to maintain top spot in the Champions League.
Conor Bradley’s recovery tackle on Kylian Mbappe was as big a statement as beating the reigning champions of Europe. Liverpool head into Sunday’s showdown in fine fettle, full of momentum, confidence and belief.
Slot, however, is playing down expectations. No way is he underestimating the challenge of City, regardless of how much the odds are stacked in Liverpool’s favour.
“We like to be in this position of course, but we also know that City doesn’t like the way it is now. And if you’ve won the league four times in a row that probably means it’s a dangerous starting position for both teams.”
I asked him if this could be a dangerous weekend? He agreed.
“A dangerous weekend. They will want to show why they have won the league four times in a row and we want to show that we can compete against them and that we want to be their competitor. We have been their competitor for a few years, They’ve always been on top of us except for one season. That’s why this game, just like the Real Madrid one, is such a great game to look forward to.”
Slot spoke of his admiration for Pep Guardiola during an interview 18 months ago. He told me how, on Sunday nights, he would hope Barcelona would be on the television so he could watch and dive into the mind of the serial winner and influential coach.
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“Look at his track record. It’s not only about the trophies you win, it’s also the way you win them. It’s the way he lets his team play, the trophies he’s won and the new things he brought to the game. He always adjusts his style of play towards the players he had.
“He comes up with new ideas, so every time the season starts, you wonder ‘Okay? What has he come up with this season?’ And that’s interesting to follow if you’re in the game as well.
“He always finds a way of bringing the best out of his players. Now, of course, we all know that Rodri got injured, so now he has to find a new idea. How he can bring the best out of the current players.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot provides updates on a double injury scare, Premier League standings, and previews their upcoming match against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City this weekend
“I know for sure that this is going to work again and for me, City were really unlucky in the last five or six games because I analysed them. So I’ve not only analysed their results, I’ve analysed the way they played. Against Tottenham they could have 2-3 after 20 minutes. Against Brighton, they were 1-0 up and getting chance after chance and then conceded two.
“Yeah, the final game will probably never happen in the history of football again. Now, that’s a bit exaggerated, but it was the first time it happened, so that probably tells you enough.”
Even the best-looking City sides have struggled at Anfield and this is this probably the worst fixture for City to have to deal with at this moment in time. Guardiola previewed the match by expressing his desire to rebuild his team; Liverpool have dropped points only twice across all competitions.
“I think the mix [of players] is very good and it’s great,” Slot added. “That’s what we assessed from the start of the season when everybody was talking about us from the outside world. We thought from the start we had a great mix of characters and quality of players.
“It’s a great mix of players that are doing really well at the moment. We thought this before we started this journey together. Me and [sporting director] Richard [Hughes] and the other people who are involved in this.
“Until now, it has worked out really well because we are in a good place, but we know how hard the Premier League and Champions League can be. Who would have thought Manchester City would have had the results they had?
“Okay, the way they played was different than the results, but the results are there. We have to keep on going because we have to make sure we keep these results as they are now.”
It doesn’t feel like a false position you find yourselves in? I asked. “No,” he replied.
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It seems like more than five months since Slot first came through the gates of the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby. Those first-day nerves soon disappeared. “I think we all do [feel nervous] because everything is new for you. The building. The people. The players.
“But you can have nerves and still function in the right way. I feel much more at ease, much more comfortable than on my first day.”
Function in the right way, they have. Liverpool certainly don’t look like a team that needs much reassurance.
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