It must be an intimidating experience commuting to your new office where murals and flags of your predecessor adorn walls and stands. For Arne Slot, he cannot do much about the past, instead his task is to enhance the future at Anfield and the early signs are promising.
The Dutchman has made no additions to Jürgen Klopp’s squad, accepting that continuity in personnel and tweaking are the way forward for his Liverpool era. He enjoyed a pre-season victory over Sevilla at his new home to get a taste of the dugout and atmosphere, but that was never going to be comparable with a Premier League match.
Defensive midfield is the main area Slot targeted during the summer window but the club failed to secure the signature of Martín Zubimendi from Real Sociedad. Without an arrival, Slot has turned to his compatriot Ryan Gravenberch to be the deepest of three central midfielders, not because he is the most likely to win the ball back but instead is unlikely to lose it. Football is about maintaining possession for Slot and he has plenty of passers that should maintain control rather than requiring to take it back. They successfully completed 92% of their passes against Brentford, a sign of things to come.
The opening goal was an indication why few adjustments are required at Liverpool as Mohamed Salah won the ball on the edge of the penalty area after a Brentford corner, allowing Diogo Jota to rampage down the middle before showing his cunning with a pass to Luis Díaz, who had made an intelligent run into space from where he slammed home the opener, in a nod to heavy metal football. Slot was allowed his first meaningful celebration in the technical area, thankful that he inherited a squad on the up. No manager has to worry when his team can counter from one end to the other in 10 seconds, culminating in a rocketing finish.
Loyalty is important at Liverpool and behind Slot’s seat was a banner displayed by supporters stating “From Bergentheim to Anfield, we got your back Arne”. Slot was on the edge of the technical area from first whistle to last, offering less energy than Klopp as he manoeuvred his players throughout.
After Díaz scored, Gravenberch removed his undershirt, the modern football equivalent of rolling up the sleeves. Everyone in red offered tenacity and work rate for their new manager, although Gravenberch took it a little too far when he committed a late foul on Mathias Jensen to earn a booking. They controlled the game to the late stages of the first half but the lack of defensive-minded midfielders offered Brentford the chance to move through and cause problems, although Alisson was unscathed.
There were concerns about how open Liverpool were becoming and Brentford were increasingly threatening. Like against Ipswich in their opener, Liverpool got better as the match went on. Alexis Mac Allister dropped further back to help Gravenberch and limit the space being exploited on the counter. It was a straightforward solution, especially as the front three fizzed. Salah, Jota and Díaz were all showing great individual and collective ability, cutting through Brentford at speed. Mark Flekken was the busier of the goalkeepers to keep Brentford in the match as everyone in red knew a second would be defining.
Possessing an electric and eclectic front three is a gift for Slot. They know each other so well, trying to impart new knowledge might not be worthwhile, even for a smart communicator like the Dutchman. He has offered them freedom in the final third to conjure as they see fit, making them a more dangerous prospect by improvising rather than choreographing, so it was unsurprising when Díaz slipped in Salah to calm the nerves of Slot and 60,000 more. Jota, Díaz and Salah were all removed before the end, an indication that Slot sees them as imperative to the long-term success of his plan.
Things were going so well for Slot that he tried an improvisation of his own when he flicked the ball back on to the pitch after an errant Brentford clearance. A third looked likely but he had no ambition to rest in his seat, committing himself to the white line, ensuring nothing was missed. The only time he took his eyes off the pitch was to acknowledge the Kop singing his name for the first time that afternoon, offering them a wave in thanks.
Gravenberch was afforded an injury-time standing ovation, a little piece of man-management from Slot, who has pushed the former Ajax man into an unfamiliar role, showing his efforts are appreciated by all. It might not have been a perfect performance from the Dutchman but he is learning on the job and showed the composure in possession that is demanded from Slot, getting things moving forward towards those who could do the real damage.
It is evolution rather than revolution for Slot and Liverpool. It was polite applause rather than punching the air at full-time because August is not the time to make noise, it is a right to be earned as the season goes along. Slot is doing things quietly; six points, four goals and two clean sheets in as many games has started the reverberations.
