Why Arne Slot’s Liverpool have dominated this season’s UEFA Champions League as Mohamed Salah drives quadruple push

Conceding one goal in six matches.

Liverpool have taken down all before them this season so far in the UEFA Champions League, as Arne Slot continues to follow seamlessly in the footsteps of Jurgen Klopp.

But if Liverpool have been so dominant in Europe, then what are the reasons behind it?

How are Liverpool different under Slot compared to Klopp?

It’s been one of the intriguing questions to ponder in the Dutchman’s first season at Anfield, with the club’s top players often asked to give their take.

Speaking recently, Trent Alexander-Arnold said: “I would say more emphasis on patience on the ball [under Slot].

“Over the last few years it’s not been crazy up and down the pitch, but there’s a lot more emphasis 1737455999 on patience and making the other team work and run, switch it from side to side and then through the middle.

“So I would say there’s less long balls and long passes, and for me more intricate passes to get through the opposition rather than over or round.”

The stats, however, suggest Liverpool have not totally abandoned the more thunderous method that was common under Klopp…

As an example, Cody Gakpo’s goal against Bayer Leverkusen – Liverpool’s second of that night – saw Slot’s men go from their own box to the back of their opponents’ net in just 14 seconds.

It’s their patience – allied to this option for directness – that makes them such a varied team to combat.

Liverpool’s European defensive data this season makes for seriously impressive reading:

It’s in the big moments that their backline have really stepped up, such as Caoimhin Kelleher’s memorable penalty save from Kylian Mbappe that brought the Anfield house down – not long after the Real Madrid forward had been unceremoniously, legally upended by Conor Bradley.

In a sign of how well-stocked Liverpool are in between the sticks, Kelleher leads Alisson Becker 3-2 in the European clean sheet stakes so far.

“He played more games last year than Alisson because of injuries, he’s done exactly the same this year.

Together with that depth, the fact that Liverpool have spent so little time behind in the Champions League this season – just 3.5% of their total minutes – is a large contributing factor to why they have been able to navigate their games in a calm, low stress manner.

The noises about his future do not appear to be distracting him; indeed, perhaps they are having the opposite effect, with Salah declaring recently that if it is to be his last season at the club, then he wants to remember it in the right way.

Despite Liverpool’s Champions League triumph in 2019, Salah could be forgiven for thinking the chance of a second crown is deservingly his and his club’s – after that incident with Sergio Ramos in the 2018 final that saw him exit after just half an hour.

With two brilliant keepers, a watertight defence, a functioning, flexible midfield and guaranteed goals from the likes of Salah and Luis Diaz, Liverpool look well set up for a tilt at a fourth Champions League final in eight seasons.