Liverpool won their first three games without conceding a goal and worries that new manager Arne Slot would not be able to follow in the footsteps of former boss Jürgen Klopp gradually faded.
Then, last weekend, the Reds were completely put under pressure by 11/1 underdogs Nottingham Forest, who lost 1-0 at Anfield. All the talk of Liverpool being title contenders has now given way to scepticism about starting under slot. The honeymoon is over.
Additional pressure is created by the fact that the Reds now have to travel to Italy to face AC Milan in the Champions League opener on Tuesday afternoon.
It may only be four games in, but it seems pretty obvious that Slot prefers control to chaos, which represents a marked change in strategy from Klopp, who placed great emphasis on his team playing an aggressive mix of football that led to numerous goal-scoring opportunities on both sides of the pitch.
This is reflected in the numbers, with Liverpool averaging just two goals (GF + GA) per game under Slot – 1.34 fewer than last season under Klopp.
It’s still early days, but it feels like we’re having to get used to a new world where Liverpool are an under team.
THE GAME: Liverpool-AC Milan under 2.5 (+130, DraftKings).
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