Arne Slot will have enjoyed just the result from Anfield on Sunday, but also the manner in which Liverpool achieved it.
The Reds extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points after they beat Manchester City 2-0 with a dominant performance, thoroughly outclassing the champions and adding to the recent woes of Pep Guardiola.
Although the Dutchman has implemented tactical tweaks which have worked wonders at Anfield this season, there were strong echoes of the famed Jurgen Klopp ‘gegenpressing’ during their victory at the weekend.
Right from the first whistle, City players found themselves smothered instantly by an indefatigable Liverpool press, enjoying virtually no time on the ball as the likes of Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai in particular (eight tackles/interceptions between them) repeatedly snuffed out the visitors’ threat in their half of the pitch.
The relentlessness of the home side led to Mo Salah intercepting a stray pass before surging upfield and inexplicably missing the target early in the second half, and it also led to Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker both losing possession in the lead-up to the penalty that the Reds were later awarded.
Slot inherited a group of players who’d become attuned to the high-pressing style for which Klopp was famed, and that characteristic still pervades throughout the Liverpool team.
In his post-match press conference, the Dutchman referred on several occasions to the ‘energy’ that his players showed, with the 46-year-old evidently approving of how tirelessly his side worked when they didn’t have the ball (liverpoolfc.com).
If the Reds are to maintain their position as Premier League leaders right through to the end of the campaign, they’ll need to maintain that formidable work rate in addition to the decisive moments of quality that they conjure up in the final third of the pitch.
Just like Klopp before him, Slot has instilled a brilliant attitude in this Liverpool team, one which could go a long way towards them possibly dethroning Man City as champions by May.
You can check out a compilation of Liverpool’s pressing against City below, via @CVideo63036 on X:
— Cf_Video (@CVideo63036) December 2, 2024
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