Liverpool left Molineux Stadium with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton and three points in the bag. It placed the Reds atop the Premier League standings, but head coach Arne Slot knows the scoreline doesn't tell the whole story. In fact, it was a tactical match, especially in the first 15 minutes, when the action belonged to Wolverhampton, the bottom team in the league.
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Difficult start
For Slot, those first moments of the game were less than smooth. "The first 15 minutes were tough for us," the coach said. "Wolves had a week to prepare and Gary O'Neil, who's tactically strong, came in with a well-executed game plan." Indeed, Wolverhampton overloaded Liverpool's right side, which made it hard for the rear guard to settle and shake confidence in this team.
Out of sorts for most of the game, the Reds were unable to impose their traditional style of play. It wasn't until the end of the first half that Liverpool finally broke through-a set-piece converted for goal by Ibrahima Konaté. The moment did relieve the team, but the victory was far from being a sure thing.
Equalizer and Salah's lifeline
Ait-Nouri leveled early in the second half for Wolverhampton, benefiting from the Liverpool backline mistake. "We conceded a goal that was avoidable, let's put it that way," Slot candidly told the media.
But as was often the case, Mohamed Salah saved the day. The Egyptian converted a penalty in the 61st minute to finally restore Liverpool's advantage and seal their win. Not that the coach was entirely satisfied. He knew the game had been anything but under control and that Liverpool was tested in a match that, at its best, could have easily slipped away.
Undue lead? Slot remains grounded
In the aftermath of the win, Liverpool rose to 15 points to take the mantle in the Premier League, with Manchester City and Arsenal close up. But Slot refused to attach any significance to this early-season lead. "Everybody is realistic enough. Six games into the season doesn't give you a real picture of the league table. It's more around 19 games that you can really feel, 'OK, where are we?'"
Slot is aware that the season is long and that tougher challenges are coming up in the next weeks, with the start of the Champions League. "We still have to prove ourselves when we come up against Arsenal, Newcastle, Chelsea and Aston Villa to see if we can stay up there, with Champions League games mixed in," the coach added.
The Champions League challenge
But as those Champions League games are added into the mix, so Liverpool will have to sustain this high intensity week after week. Slot is very aware of this, and he focused on how this would relate to player performance. The last time we played in the Champions League, two years ago, we all know what kind of season that was," recalled the coach, noting that the grueling European competition could take a physical and mental toll on his squad.
The real challenge for Slot, therefore, would be to keep the team focused and at the top of their game with tough matches against clubs like Arsenal and Aston Villa. "This is a completely different situation, playing Champions League midweek against very tough opponents, then facing Arsenal, then facing Aston Villa," he stressed.