Arne Slot suffered his first defeat as Liverpool manager on Saturday to Nottingham Forest.
Liverpool had won their opening three matches and they were yet to concede a goal as they went into the international break full of confidence and joy.
When Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp in the dugout, many weren’t sure what to expect because he was coming in for such a legendary figure and so much stability was going to be lost.
For some, the Reds were just going to resume normal service and challenge for the Premier League title again, but others were worried.
Liverpool’s defeat to Nottingham Forest has already changed the mind of Paul Merson, who had a completely different viewpoint about the team just hours earlier.
Leading up to the game, he claimed that the Reds are a ‘very good team’ and he praised the manager for not changing much.
The former Arsenal player added that Slot’s side have ‘every chance’ to challenge and win the Premier League title.
Leading up to the game, Liverpool and Manchester City were the only teams with 100% starts – the latter have continued that by surviving a scare against Brentford on Saturday.
But it seems to have taken just one defeat, a fantastic Callum Hudson-Odoi effort, for Merson to completely change his mind and go in the other direction.
Merson labelled Liverpool as ‘boring’ post-match and ‘I don’t see them challenging’ for the Premier League title because of their style of play, as he told Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports (14/09/24 at 5:20 pm).
Liverpool lose to Nottingham Forest at Anfield
“He’s got a very good team,” said Merson pre-match. “He has come in and he hasn’t changed anything. This team is good enough, you go out and play.
“Usually, a manager comes in and their ego eats up a little bit and they go right, I will bring two players in and I will drop two players just to show it’s not anybody else’s team and it’s my team. He has come in and gone ‘nothing is really broken, so what do you need to fix’. It’s a strong team. Squad-wise. I don’t know if it’s strong enough. But as an XI, 12 or 13 and a couple of players here and there. They have every chance. If they can keep their big players fit like Arsenal did last season, then they won’t be a million miles away from this title.”
After Liverpool’s defeat to Forest: “I thought Liverpool were a bit boring,” claimed Merson. “I thought it was slow. When you watch Klopp’s team play. They break and it’s 100 miles per hour and they break so quickly. It just seemed to go through the phases. It wasn’t quick enough. Unless they quicken this up, I don’t see it. I don’t see them challenging. I don’t. They have got to move it quickly. Teams in this Premier League, they get back so quickly. It seems to be, watching this game, ‘we don’t lose before we win’. That’s not Liverpool.”
Liverpool in the Champions League
Liverpool have a rich history in the Champions League and Slot will be eager to continue this given that he has had experience in Europe with Feyenoord, but the heat and pressure is going to be far greater on Merseyside.
There are mouthwatering ties for the fans to look forward to, starting with AC Milan on Tuesday night and a showdown against Real Madrid at Anfield in October.
READ MORE: Steve Nicol admits shock at £34m Liverpool star’s performances
This is where the team’s squad depth is going to come into question and tested because you question if there is enough, especially at the back and in midfield.
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