In a battle of two rising managerial stars, Arne Slot got here out on high on Tuesday as Liverpool cruised to a 4-0 victory over Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen, extending his near-perfect begin to life because the Reds’ supervisor and placing the remainder of Europe on discover.
At first, the sport was a gradual burn. Neither facet had a couple of shot on course by the primary 42 minutes, and neither facet was near reaching one anticipated objective by the halftime break. The sport state arguably favored Alonso – the defensive tone of the primary half was not a shock for Slot’s defensively regular Liverpool, however Leverkusen have been porous on the again in Bundesliga play this season. Limiting Liverpool’s assault to 0.64 anticipated objectives after 9 photographs would mark a serious assertion, particularly as Leverkusen map out their follow-up act to final season’s historic double-winning season.
Ultimately, although, it was Slot and Liverpool who got here out of the sport with an announcement of their very own.
The Reds swapped a tame first half for a high-intensity second half, taking cost in practically each significant class after the break. Whereas they ceded possession to Leverkusen within the first half, that they had a slight benefit within the second. Most significantly, although, they mustered 3.49 anticipated objectives out of 13 second-half photographs – and scored 4 objectives to again it up. Luis Diaz scored the primary of his three objectives within the 61st minute, whereas Mohamed Salah notched two assists and Curtis Jones impressed by organising a pair of objectives himself.
It was probably the most emphatic win of Liverpool’s season up to now, although Slot demonstrated some managerial vary over the course of the 90 minutes. The primary half mirrored the restraint Slot’s Liverpool have gotten identified for, in addition to a budding behavior of letting the opponent have the ball in high-profile video games. The tone shift at halftime, although, was a brand new search for the Reds underneath the Dutchman, demonstrating a capability to answer imperfect situations in video games and make the mandatory changes to come back out with a profitable consequence.
Although it was hardly a job requirement on the time of his rent, Slot’s tactical shift allowed Liverpool to resemble Klopp’s high-energy model of the crew throughout his practically nine-year spell in cost. Tuesday’s win, although, confirmed what the proper follow-up act seems like regardless of the seemingly unimaginable activity of succeeding a celebrated supervisor. Whereas Slot’s private preferences had been on show, the foundational tactical similarities he shares with Klopp had been equally obvious.
“I just like the excessive press simply as a lot as Jurgen preferred it,” Slot instructed CBS Sports activities after the win over Leverkusen. “I feel that is additionally one of many explanation why Liverpool, why [sporting director] Richard [Hughes] got here to me, that our enjoying model was fairly related … Perhaps with the ball, risk-reward, typically [I] wait a bit longer to play the ball in behind however what we all the time need from our gamers is that we press them actually excessive.”
As for Alonso, his first full season as a supervisor within the Champions League – and his first amongst Europe’s elites since profitable the Bundesliga – exhibits some room for enchancment, particularly as Leverkusen now stand at 20 objectives towards in 15 video games throughout all competitions this season. Upward trajectories aren’t all the time a straight line, although, and there is nonetheless little cause to strike his title from the record of the continent’s subsequent large managers.
Slot now has 15 wins in his first 16 video games in command of Liverpool, occupying high spot in each the Champions League and Premier League tables within the course of. He’s maybe the uncommon instance of a supervisor who has barely missed a beat in his first large job, showcasing the Reds’ tangible transformation right into a crew of his making regardless of inheriting Klopp’s squad. On a day of lopsided victories within the Champions League, the truth that his Liverpool had been on the proper facet of a giant win – and that Actual Madrid and Manchester Metropolis had been on the incorrect facet – means that the intangible feeling of inevitable victory that was as soon as hooked up to these sides has now shifted to Liverpool.
