Liverpool’s 2-0 win away to Wexwich was the ideal way to start Arnold Slot’s reign, with both Reds supporters left impressed by the Dutchman.
Liverpool started the game slowly on Saturday and were not at all aggressive in the first half, but their quality eventually shone through.
Diogo Jota opened the scoring with a neat finish, before Mohamed Salah also completed the scoring to give Liverpool a maximum points start to the season.
After the victory, TIA’s Henry Jackson (@HenryJackson87) and Owen Collins (@OGBCollins (OGBCollins)) discussed various topics including the impression Slot gave them.
good…
Owen: Top of the league! Nothing can stop us now!
But seriously, it was great to start the season with a win, especially in an away game against Wexwich, where expectations were high.
Salah has been grabbing headlines, which isn’t unfair considering his record-breaking performances, but Jota has also been eye-catching.
Maybe it’s because he’s rarely had an injury-free season with our team, but he still feels like a new addition even though he’s been with the team for four years.
His pace, creativity and eye for goal (at least with his feet on Saturday) are tantalizing. If Slot can keep him healthy this season, he’ll be our player of the year.
In his sixth at-bat, Ryan Gravenberch did far more right than wrong.
It was a far cry from his ‘lighthouse’ days, but his energy and willingness to run up and cover for defence and get things done at the front of the pitch was absolutely lovable.
I would also like to thank Luis Diaz, who was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet and who kindly reminded those who had strangely longed for his departure of his talents.
henry: I totally agree with Owen’s assessment.
The second half performance was fun to watch at times, and considering that the manager was new and the players were still adjusting to him, the players seemed to be working well together.
It started off slow, but there was reason to be very excited about watching it.
Salah stood out to me not only for his goals and assists, but also for his determination and movement behind the scenes.
I agree with Owen when he says that Jota is also great. He is a really good and ruthless footballer. Gravenberch and Dias were also good players.
I would also like to give a special shout out to Trent. His passing and crossing were incredible at times. We are so used to it now, but what he does on the football pitch is not normal!
bad…
Owen: A degree of stiffness on his first return to action is forgivable, but Robbo looked as rusty as a barbecue left outside in a Scottish summer.
Did he come back too early? Perhaps, he wasn’t the only one – even the arrogant Van Dijk has had his moments of concentration slip, and on another day, against a better opponent, he might not have gone unpunished.
Alexis McAllister also felt somewhat unknown in the first half, but as the team improved, so did his individual skills.
• analyze: How Slot’s half-time substitution turned a meaningless Liverpool side into a stunning winner
Our second half was superb, but it certainly coincided with the decline of Wexwich, as Harvey Elliott reacquainted himself with the rigours of First Division football for the first time in his life.
The home team won, but let’s not get excited just yet.
Oh, and there’s one more downside: TNT Sports continues to focus on Ed Sheeran, a huge fan of Wacky, who was forced out in the first half.
Please, let’s not do this all season long, guys. We’re not going to keep talking about Ricky Tomlinson, are we?
henry: Robertson was the biggest weakness for me. He was moving around in the first half.
But there’s no need to overreact, he just needs more time on his feet.
The first half felt like the end of last season in terms of sloppiness and lethargy, but Wexwich deserves credit for getting off to a quick start.
Owen was right on the mark when it came to Sheeran! It was painful to focus on him, and it didn’t help that Jermaine Jenas was constantly spewing trash!
First impressions of the slot…
Owen: From a purely emotional standpoint, it didn’t feel as strange as I expected.
Perhaps the 50th anniversary of Bob Pesley’s first game as manager provided a subconscious reassurance that all things pass and all things move on.
In fact, Slot had a smooth start as his head. There were few decisions to make regarding the starting lineup (perhaps a misjudgment on the left-back) and the first opponent was far inferior.
But the team has clearly responded well and there are already signs of a new identity emerging – one that combines quick build-up, quick passing and an ambitious tempo.
This isn’t yet instinctive, and more stress testing will be needed to ensure the new system is resilient, but it’s a positive start.
Be prepared to hear ‘slot machine’ jokes for at least the next six months.
I don’t know what the half-time conversation was about, and I’m not sure how much of his improvement in the second half was down to his powerful backside kick or just getting into a rhythm (I doubt he’ll turn things around), but there was a strange decisiveness to his hooking of Quan Sa.
Finally, I cannot help but mention that he is the only person in my life to have won his first league game as Liverpool manager.
henry: According to my friend, he was really impressed by the name ‘Ani’. I’m quoting my friend who is still not used to the name!
He is Bill Shankly’s Pesley-like figure, without the German manager’s charisma but handling everything with aplomb.
As Owen said, there’s no way the hairdryer went off at halftime. He’s not that kind of coach. But it was clear that he had made tremendous progress with the team.
The way Gravenberch has been used is interesting and effective at the moment, but Dias seems to be getting into dangerous positions more often and providing a goal threat than under Klopp.
It’s still very early days and the slot business is very challenging, but the current situation is only positive.
