Have Liverpool Turned a Corner at the Right Time? What That Might Mean for Premier League Foes

Liverpool have started poorly by their usual standards this season with defeats in big matches.

Arne Slot’s troops have struggled at vital points already which has dampened their mood and chances of winning the Premier League title within the first few weeks.

It has been six victories from their opening 10 for the Reds in the English top flight while they have also saw themselves beaten four times without a stalemate to speak of.

So you might say it has been all or nothing for the current title holders who were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Crystal Palace in front of their home fans last week.

Top talisman Mo Salah’s stats have come under fire as he has dipped significantly in his own personal form in recent fixtures.

Liverpool turn corner with Real Madrid victory

Statisticians will see his xG is lower across this term than the average from the past five seasons in a row at this stage in those campaigns.

And when a club’s main creative playmaker is not firing on all cylinders, it makes things difficult for those around them to find the same form also expected of them.

Slot’s tactics have been questioned at times with the likes of new signing Florian Wirtz also failing to hit the heights thus far.

The German cost a pretty penny in the summer transfer window but has done little to present hope to his manager or the fanbase that he will come into his own and perform.

Is that down to Slot’s set up? Perhaps in parts.

But if the Reds are to climb the table and compete further in the Champions League, they will have to build on their own momentum.

And that is where we at FootballBlog begin our page turn after some serious victories for the club.

Liverpool form improved

As mentioned, Slot and his Reds have not been at their best, or even close to it.

A string of miserable results tainted their early season form and the boss copped flak for sending his players out seemingly unprepared tactically.

Since their narrow win over Championship team Southampton in the Carabao Cup – a tournament they have since been eliminated from – Liverpool lost six games from seven.

One solitary win over Eintracht Frankfurt came in between defeats to Crystal Palace (2), Galatasaray, Chelsea, Manchester United and Brentford.

It was certainly not league winner form and Arsenal hope win the title this season and see out their incredible start to the year under Mikel Arteta.

Liverpool, though, will not go down without a fight as is natural in a title defence and their three points against much-improved Aston Villa was possibly the start of their comeback.

Salah found the net as did Ryan Gravenberch to win the game in front of their home crowd and one big win like that in the Premier League can bring about a change in fortunes.

Unai Emery’s Villa had started poorly but have come on leaps and bounds since.

So for Slot and Liverpool to keep them quiet at the back while finding a solution to recent goal scoring problems must be considered a positive. And one to build upon.

Champions League momentum

Yet it was not just in domestic action that Liverpool improved in their most recent outings.

In what was billed as potential match of the night, they hosted Euro giants Real Madrid and beat them 1-0 to send Los Galacticos back to Spain empty handed.

Madrid brought with them their top stars in Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Thibaut Courtois only to be sent packing by a rampant Reds.

The hosts had 14 total shots on goal with nine of those attempts on target, testing Courtois and keeping the big Belgian on his toes.

It was a result which takes them up a few notches into sixth in the League Phase and adds to their wins over Frankfurt and Atletico Madrid back in mid-September.

Liverpool are fighting on two fronts right now until their FA Cup arrival and they know they have to remain competitive.

With a win in each competition within the last week, they are finally doing their part.

Big Liverpool win when they needed it most

Of all the fixtures that could come around for Slot and his men at this time, an away trip to Manchester City might actually be the ideal match at the ideal time.

We know City have not been at their own flashy best this season so far but Erling Haaland has broken records and is flying on a personal level.

That does not mean their old foes can’t defeat them at the Etihad when the two sides square off on Sunday, however, and Slot will want to make sure his troops have the best chance.

Confidence is king in football and even a point away at the home of 10-time EPL winners City will do further wonders.

What Arne Slot has said about Liverpool form

Arne Slot has admitted his side’s form has been “scandalous” this season at times.

The Dutchman is nothing if not honest and the 47-year-old spoke after the Madrid game and told of his pride at their improvement.

“We’ve lost far too much in recent weeks, of course, for a club of our level,” he said.

“It was a challenging schedule with many away games, with hardly any rest in between. Tonight, we played against a team that also had two days off, but at our own Anfield.

“It’s fantastic when you play a match like that and then win. Tonight showed once again how important set pieces are in football these days. In the Premier League, we’ve now conceded four like that, but in the Champions League, we’ve now scored four like that and conceded zero.

“No, I was never worried, but when you lose often, as a manager you’re constantly thinking about where you can make adjustments. But you’re also aware that many things are going well. Losing so often was scandalous, far from our level.”