SO IT TURNS out the added control exerted by Arne Slot extends to the Premier League table. We’re not yet at the halfway stage and Liverpool are four points clear of Chelsea, six clear of Arsenal, 12 clear of Manchester City, 16 clear of Spurs and 17 clear of Manchester United..
.with a game in hand. It’s much too early to say this thing is Over, but the league hasn’t looked this Over at Christmas since Liverpool last won the league five years ago.
Their statement, oh-bloody-hell-they-really-are-serious-about-this flourish that season came on St Stephen’s Day away to second-placed Leicester City, whom they pumped 4-0. Their equivalent performance this time has come three days before Christmas: everything Slot does, it seems, is ahead of schedule. This see-sawing, screwball 6-3 win over Spurs was Liverpool’s signature performance of this season: the game delivered a tennis result but Spurs could only make hay on their serve.
Liverpool cruised to a 5-1 lead before switching off to allow Spurs a flicker of hope. They then promptly killed the game through Luis Diaz with the final goal, which gave the game a justifiable result. Even allowing for the fact Slot has the best squad in the league and Ange Postecoglou was shorn of four of his first-choice back five, this game was a case study in the willingness to adapt.
“They have their way of playing and they don’t change it that much”, said Mo Salah after the game of Spurs, though did garnish his post-game survey by de.
