WHAT'S THE SECRET? LIVERPOOL

Slot has slotted in perfectly, is the report from Liverpool and beyond. The man at the helm of coaching is Arne Slot and he is smashing it right now– after 10 games in all competitions, he has won 9 and therefore tops the EPL. Infact no other coach in the history of Liverpool football club has had abetter 10-game start.

This is even understating how well things have gone, as there's more in the bigger picture. In the history of the EPL, no other manager hired in the offseason has won more points (18) or produced a better goal differential (plus-11) than Slot through his first seven matches. Well only one coach in the mercurial Pep Guardiola has matched Slots numbers and another great, called Mr. Champions league, Carlo Ancelloti equaled Slot's points total bit fell one short of the goal difference haul.

Well that's not a bad company, hanging out with the two coaches who won the last two Champions league competitions.

So @kenechukwu97 and other Liverpoolites, let me attempt to uncover some reasons behind this success, this far:

THE FOUNDATION WAS IN PLACE

If we may start with the obvious: it's not as though Slot waa taking over a team without quality personnel. That forward line was one of the best last year with absurd shots and xG numbers. Injuries have been the issues, but theh are in the Champions league because they surely did a lot of right things last season.

One could point out how they pursued the defensive midfielder, Martin Zubimendi over the summer and Moisés Caicedo the summer before that, as proof that they lack something in the base of midfield. Well, we can say that's all they really lacked, because the defence is solid with captain Van Dijk and his gang, then in goal the Brazilian national team number one, Allison.

While they were thin at the base of midfield, the trio of signings last summer– Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, and Dominik Szoboszlai, plus academy groomed players like of Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott, has created an overload of depth in the advanced midfield roles.

Today Gravenberch is such a revelation playing the defensive midfield role with huge aplomb.

The point is, there was a formidable foundation already in place.

HE IMPLEMENTS A NEW DEFENSIVE SYSTEM

With only two goals scored against them so far, this defence is looking like the real deal. Bigger picture only 4 teams have had a better record in their first seven matches in EPL history: Jose Mourinho's first two Chelsea sides allowed only one goal, while so did Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in 1997-98 and John Gregory's Aston Villa one year later.

What's the secret?
Well, firstly compared to last season under Klopp, Liverpool aren't pressing as aggressively and this is intentional, it's Slot's style. They're allowing 10.32 passes per defensive action (PPDA), compared to 8.89 last season. This reduction in aggression also means that they are a little easier to pass against, allowing an opposition completion percentage of 79.8% this season, up from 77.4% this season.

With the ball they're also not as aggressive as last season and thus taking nearly five fewer shots per gamd than last term.

It's a more possession-based side now and as such they less frequently lose the ball in situations where their defense is out of structure. And when they do lose the ball, in out-of-shape situations, their recovery runs have been way more aggressive this season, with all hands on deck. Perhaps Slot is saying, it's easier to expend energy defensively when you're not attacking as intensely?

THEY'VE FIGURED OUT HOW TO SLOW DOWN

Kinda related to the previous point, is this one. Well, it's still only a small sample size– 7 EPL matches– but I need to point out what is seen. Last season, Liverpool's average shot distance from goal was 17.2 yards – the sixth highest in the league. This season, it's down to 15.7 — the fifth lowest in the league. This isn't just happenstance; these are thesame players as last season, there must be something intentional about this stat. Perhaps to reduce the risk of counterattacks by opponents or to conserve energy or likely both, Liverpool are no more risking loosing possession with unlikely, long-range attempts on goal. Now they appear to be more into hunting out high quality opportunities and almost never shooting from outside the box.

Let me add that, for all of Klopp's genius, he style of play and therefore his style of training increased the risk of injuries to players. The "heavy metal" style he fondly called it brought with it a physically intense training regime day in, day out and it was one injury crises to the other in those years he was there.

I heard one of the reasons Liverpool hired Slot is that they thought he'd help keep the team's best players off the treatment table due to his training methods which are reportedly, of much lower intensity. And the way his team has approached all of its matches so far fit within that idea, too.

By being so in control of the ball when the score is tied, they've been able to up the tempo when they need to, therefore saving their legs(and minds), such that they do enough to win.

Well it's still a young season, we'll see how much this new style saves them from injuries and how much returns this their new found control over games will yield them in points gained.

FAVOURABLE SCHEDULE

Well if I must be holistic in my assessment, I think I have to look at this too. Yes I have lauded their defensive shape, yet it's also true that their average opponent so far has been somewhere within the range of Everton and Bournemouth, according to Opta's power ratings. Let's say we ignore whether it's home or away, their average opponent rating is the easiest in the league. Crystal Palace, Wolves, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Brentford, Ipswich Town— now only one of this their seven opponents currently have a positive goal difference— and that team, Nottingham Forest, beat Liverpool.

Looking at another angle, we can attempt to do some comparison with last season and look at the corresponding fixtures from last season. Well, there was no Ipswich last term, so we can sub in Sheffield United away for Ipswich away(afterall they both finished second in the Championship to gain promotion).

We then notice that Liverpool actually did slightly better last season. The only points they dropped from these fixtures last term was in the 2-2 draw away to United. So Klopp's Liverpool took 19 points from these same games, as against 18 of the Slot era.

It can be argued that if Arsenal or Manchester City had navigated Liverpool's schedule through seven games, they, too, would most likely sit atop of the table. As it stands, I think it's impressive they're both only one point behind and that is despite a match against each other and tough away games at Chelsea for City and at Spurs and Aston Villa for Arsenal.

Well Liverpool can also point to the fact that they thrashed West Ham 5–1 in an EFL cup match to show more of their potential.
The point is, we will know more about them as league matches resume where they immediately face a Chelsea and Arsenal in consecutive games.

Cheers