Five issues Arne Slot obtained proper as Liverpool win their ‘first massive problem’

Many critics saw Chelsea as Arne Slot’s first big challenge in what has been a great start to the season for Liverpool.

Although he became the first ever Liverpool manager to win eight out of their nine opening games, the opponents he faced were ones in which the Reds would be expected to win.

Chelsea started the game well, but a poor challenge on Curtis Jones in the box handed Mohamed Salah a simple penalty finish. Shortly after the second half whistle blew, Moises Caicedo perfectly timed a pass through to Nicolas Jackson who cooly slid it past the Liverpool keeper.

This enjoyment was short lived when 3 minutes later, Jones put Liverpool back in front when Salah floated a ball to the midfielder who had timed his run to perfection, tapping it past Sanchez. And as Liverpool keep their spot at the top of the table, Daily Star Sport look at what Slot got right…

Curtis Jones on the Attack

Curtis Jones was the best player on the pitch today. He was a constant nuisance to Chelsea on the attack. Jones won the first penalty for Liverpool to take the lead. He almost won another in the first half, but VAR overturned it.

His presence in the box was both dominant and elusive, slipping his run in-between the Chelsea backline perfectly to grab his goal.

And if that wasn’t enough, his work ethic to run from box to box and win the ball back for Liverpool proved him a player transformed.

Embraced Mohamed Salah

When defending for Liverpool, there’s no better feeling than winning the ball back and knowing you can launch it up the right wing to find Salah. His positioning and pace make him a constant outlet, always ready to turn defense into attack.

While this tactic may leave the team a player short when pushed back, Salah’s relentless work on the offensive end more than compensates for it.

Slot was smart enough to know that coming into Liverpool, it isn’t about making Salah play for you; it’s about making sure that you have made it possible for Salah to play to the best of his abilities.

Holding back Trent Alexander-Arnold

Alexander-Arnold has been critiqued across his playing career for not having the same defensive skills as he does attacking through his long balls and set pieces.

Slot had clearly told Alexander-Arnold to hold back a bit and keep Sancho from working his magic, and that is exactly what the scouser did.

Sancho could not find a way past the Liverpool defender in the first 45 minutes, causing him to be taken off after just after the second half had gotten underway.

The right back embraced his defensive duties, running from one side of the pitch to the other, chasing down balls. He looked to have been proving a point to his critics.

Did not panic

Chelsea had started the much better team. For the first 25 minutes, the London team had controlled the game with Liverpool dropping back. The pace of the Blues attack was causing issues.

The important thing for Slot to do here was to stay calm and not change his plan. Yes, Liverpool were fortunate in a way to get the penalty which changed the course of the first half, but all the players stayed calm.

This is especially prevalent for a team who is used to having the ball. When facing Liverpool, you would expect to be doing the defending, but Chelsea came with a plan and implemented it from the beginning. Slot did not budge.

Put Dominik Szoboszlai to work

Szoboszlai has had a tricky time at Liverpool. He came in with a lot of eyes on him and potentially didn’t live up to the initial hype.

Against Chelsea, Slot had built Szobszlai back into a hard working player. No, he still isn’t at his upmost potential, but the important thing against Chelsea was that he worked nonstop.

He was getting balls into the final third and he was getting touches in the opposition box. At the other end of the pitch, he was blocking shots, recovering balls. Liverpool fans know that he can do more, but Slot is making him work and that’s the first step.