Liverpool transformation clear after ruthless Arne Slot decision helps solve 23-game problem

Liverpool’s defensive transformation under Arne Slot has so far paid dividends but there will be sterner tests to come for the Reds

After Virgil van Dijk nodded Liverpool in front at the San Siro last month, Ibrahima Konate was among the first to offer his congratulations. The Frenchman, who himself had found the back of the net against AC Milan earlier in the evening, wheeled away in celebration with his captain, giving the Reds’ No.4 a thump on the chest for good measure.

Ten games into the new season, though, and it is the pair’s defensive endeavours that deserve particular credit, with Liverpool currently boasting the meanest back line of any club in Europe’s top five leagues. The Reds have conceded just four goals in all competitions, with one of those coming in a 5-1 rout of West Ham United in the Carabao Cup, when neither Van Dijk or Konate featured.

When you include only Premier League games, Liverpool have conceded just twice. Only Juventus – who have let in just one goal in seven Serie A games this term – have a better domestic record.

It marks something of a departure from last season, when Liverpool were often guilty of conceding far too readily. It was a custom for which the Reds were made to pay richly in the Premier League title race, with Manchester City and Arsenal conceding seven and 12 fewer goals respectively than Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Liverpool also developed a worrying habit of conceding the first goal in games last season, doing so 23 times – equating to a whopping 39.6 percent of their matches. That the Reds, more often than not, managed to summon their miraculous powers of recovery to salvage precious points was one of the main reasons they were still in the mix to win all four trophies available to them by mid-March.

However, it was not a strategy conducive to yielding major titles and the defence was arguably the most glaring area for improvement inherited by Arne Slot when he arrived in the summer. While it is still very early days, the Dutchman’s impact on Liverpool’s back line has been seismic.

So far this season, Arsenal have let in four more goals than Liverpool while City have conceded six more, with Van Dijk and Konate both excelling under their new head coach. The latter’s transformation has been particularly notable after a cocktail of injuries and poor individual form saw the 25-year-old lose his place in the starting lineup to the impressive Jarell Quansah last season.

Konate started just two of Klopp’s eight final league games as Liverpool boss, both of which ended in defeat, to Crystal Palace and Everton respectively. And it looked as if his exile to the substitutes bench would likely continue into the new campaign when Quansah was given a starting berth in the Reds’ Premier League opener against Ipswich Town.

However, after a difficult first half for Slot’s side at Portman Road, Konate was summoned from the sidelines and has since been an immovable presence at the heart of the Liverpool defence. The centre-back’s statistics are amongst the best in the Premier League this term, with his tackle success rate of 63% superior to the numbers recorded by celebrated Arsenal duo William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.

Van Dijk, meanwhile, has looked imperious at the back, having additionally been tasked with more responsibility for setting Liverpool on the attack. It must also be noted that no player in Europe’s top five leagues has recorded a better aerial duel win rate than the Reds pair.

Flanked on either side by Trent Alexander-Arnold and one of either Andy Roberston or Kostas Tsimikas, Van Dijk and Konate have helped limit the amount of shots Liverpool are facing. After the first seven games of last season Liverpool had faced 101 shots on goal, compared to just 64 this season, and that extra robustness has so far paid dividends with the Reds currently sat atop the Premier League table.

There are, of course, much sterner tests to come but the numbers certainly tally with Slot’s excellent defensive record at Feyenoord, who conceded the fewest shots from open play and the second fewest amount of goals in the Eredivisie last term.

As Liverpool prepare to embark on what is arguably their most fearsome run of fixtures this season, their back line can expect to face much stricter interrogation from the likes of Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen and City.

As legendary Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson once famously said, “attack wins you games, defence wins you titles” and, while it remains to be seen whether Liverpool can crown this season with silverware, it seems they’re certainly on the right track.