We’re only three games into the season, but having been forced to pause for the first international break, that at least has given us chance to assess Arne Slot‘s start.

Liverpool have three victories and three clean sheets – the positive start the club and supporters craved under new management.

Slot has already made his style of play clear, and perhaps that is the biggest compliment you can pay the Dutchman, who has taken the role in his stride.

We cannot jump to too many conclusions so early into the season, but we have still learned a lot from how the Reds have started 2024/25.

Gravenberch is taking many by surprise

At the end of last season, very few would have expected to see Ryan Gravenberch become the first-choice No. 6 – and yet he has taken to it strongly thus far.

Of course, had Martin Zubimendi arrived we would be having a different discussion, but the Dutchman has been a revelation under Slot to date, thriving with the confidence his head coach has in him.

The 22-year-old, as per FotMob, is Liverpool’s fourth-highest-rated player after three matches (7.7), behind only Mo Salah (8.55), Luis Diaz (8.36) and Alisson (7.89).

He will have tougher tasks ahead of him, but he’s shown he’s capable of receiving and disposing the ball under pressure and extinguishing the opposition’s attacks.

There is an increased level of concentration and application in Gravenberch’s game, let’s hope he follows the same trajectory when he returns.

Slot making his authority known

When Trent Alexander-Arnold sulked his way off the pitch against Brentford it had the hallmarks of never-ending headlines when you also take his contract situation into account.

But Slot quickly explained that he is protecting his vice-captain as he wants him available for the full season, not just games at a time.

And when he again subbed his No. 66 at Old Trafford, you took your hat off to him as it was a reminder of who is in control and that any outward reaction will not change his mind.

Alexander-Arnold walked off with a smile on his face on that occasion with the bitter rivals put in their place, but the moment said more of Slot than it did the right-back.

Slot hasn’t looked at all fazed stepping into his role.

Salah has to be handed a new contract

Liverpool have scored seven goals so far and Mohamed Salah has had a hand in six of them with three goals and three assists.

If there was any thought he would slow down as he nears 32 years old, one would be severely mistaken, and it makes a lack of contract talks all the more bewildering.

Yes, we know all about FSG’s policy regarding players over 30, but if there was to be an exception to the rule it would be Salah – Virgil van Dijk, too.

The Egyptian used his opportunity in front of the cameras after the United win to put pressure on the club to act, and we can only hope they were listening.

You can’t let a player of his ilk walk away for free.

You have to be winning your duels

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If you’ve been tuning into Slot’s pre and post-match press conferences, you will have heard him say the word “duel” countless times.

“It’s about winning your duels and winning the second balls,” Slot stressed after the win at Ipswich, which saw him sub out Jarell Quansah in search of more duel success with Ibrahima Konate.

For the head coach, these are the small margins that decide games, and it is why he has stressed their importance – we’ve even seen the physical contest work they do on the training pitch to aid this facet of the game.

Ironically, Liverpool lost the duel count against Ipswich and Man United, but it goes to show his high expectations for the squad.

We’re seeing more tactical flexibility

If there was to be a criticism of Jurgen Klopp, it would be that often ‘Plan A was Plan A’. With Slot, however, we have already seen his tactical flexibility.

The trip to Old Trafford was a prime example of that.

He shifted Dominik Szoboszlai to the left and dropped Alexis Mac Allister slightly further back than Ryan Gravenberch to exploit United, while Trent Alexander-Arnold stuck to his touchline.

The Dutchman had identified how they built up from the back and made sure his team was set up to take advantage – which they did with great success.

It is these tweaks that strengthen Liverpool’s hand and will keep the opposition guessing, even if personnel were not to change week on week.

Defensive solidity meets attacking prowess

Liverpool remain the only team yet to concede in the Premier League, and their xG conceded is the third-best in the division (2.4) behind only Man City (2) and Nottingham Forest (2.1).

Alisson has still made his fair share of saves, but the Reds are defensively sound and it has eased the heart palpitations somewhat – of which we can all be glad.

As per FotMob, Slot’s side are joint-first for xG alongside City (7.1) and have created the most big chances (16) – though they have missed nine of them.

This balance across the defence and attack has made for a smooth start, and we can only hope it continues once the games start piling up!

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Harvey Elliott‘s injury was the headline news on Wednesday, a day that saw Kylian Mbappe thrust back into the Liverpool spotlight despite that ship sailing years ago!

Today’s Main LFC Headline

Harvey Elliott has suffered a fractured foot, an injury that will keep him out for up to six weeks.

It is a major blow for the 21-year-old just as his chance was to come with Liverpool playing seven games across three different competitions in just 22 days.

He felt “discomfort during training” with the England U21s, and further medical assessment with the club led to the diagnosis.

Elliott is aiming to be back for the first game after the October international break – against Chelsea on October 20. It is a huge shame, he’s only played seven minutes so far in 2023/24.

Read more on Elliott’s injury here

Today’s Liverpool FC News

• We still can’t get away from Kylian Mbappe rumours, the latest is that he had agreed to join Liverpool in 2022 with a clause for a future option to join Real Madrid. Perhaps we all move on from this, yeah? (L’Equipe)

• Rio Ngumoha, the 16-year-old winger Liverpool signed from Chelsea in the summer, joined members of the first team for training early this week – the club clearly rate him highly

• Ryan Gravenberch‘s sublime Trent-like pass for the Netherlands went viral – honestly, it is a crime that it didn’t end up as an assist

• Mexican winger Cesar Huerta has said he “had my suitcase ready” to join Liverpool this summer – the transfer is reported to have broken down after Sunderland rejected to take him on loan. Could be one to watch in January (AS)

• Mohamed Salah marked his 100th international appearance for Egypt with a goal – we didn’t expect anything less – and he was presented with a commemorative shirt for his efforts

• Liverpool Women will play their first game at their new stadium on Sunday (kickoff at 2pm UK). It is against Everton in a pre-season friendly and tickets are available here

More from This Is Anfield

• Opinion: Arne Slot faced dozens of questions about transfers, but if Liverpool wanted a head coach he should not be the one to front the press, writes James Nalton

• Jamie Carragher was surprised Chelsea were convinced to spend £50m on Fernando Torres in 2011. Chelsea making reckless financial decisions, who would have thought?

• Internationals: 10 of the 19 first-team members called up this month played every minute for their country! Not exactly ideal

Elsewhere in the football world today

• Man United have reported a net loss of £113.2m during the 2023/24 season, and yet they say they remain compliant with the Premier League‘s spending rules, righto! (Athletic)

• Mauricio Pochettino has officially been unveiled as the new manager of the USA, former Liverpool coach Jack Robinson recently joined US Soccer as their head of goalkeeping

• Norway’s team doctor expects Martin Odegaard to be out for at least three weeks with an ankle injury – if a fracture was found during his MRI, it would be closer to six weeks (BBC Sport)

Liverpool FC: On this day

On this day in 2001, Liverpool played their first ever game in the Champions League proper against Boavista at Anfield – it was a long wait back to the top table of European football.

Gerard Houllier was at the helm for the occasion and the Reds could only manage a 1-1 draw against the Portuguese side, Michael Owen was the goalscorer in what was Steven Gerrard‘s 100th game as a Red.

Liverpool were eventually knocked out in the quarter-final stage but in the years since have lifted the trophy twice from a total of five final appearances – here’s hoping another is on the horizon!

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Mohamed Salah earned his 100th cap for his country and, what would you know, he commemorated the occasion with another goal to continue his bright start to the new season.

The 32-year-old continues to do what he has always done, and that is score goals. He had three for Liverpool before the break and returns with one for Egypt.

Salah played 165 minutes during this month’s internationals, with his 75-minute outing against Botswana bringing up his 100th appearance for his country.

He became the 14th player to reach the milestone for Egypt, with Mohamed Elneny making it 15 on the same evening – the pair even debuted together on September 3, 2011.

They walked away from the AFCON qualifier with a 4-0 win, with Salah netting the third goal of the game in the 56th minute – Mahmoud Trezeguet netted a brace and Mostafa Fathi finished off the scoring.

A moment of pride! ?? Celebrating the success of our Egyptian King ? #egyptnt pic.twitter.com/vNAHLeGULx

— Egypt National Team (@EgyptNT_EN) September 10, 2024

Misjudgement from the Botswanan keeper allowed Liverpool’s No. 11 to tap in Mohamed Hamdi’s cross from close range for one of the easiest goals of his career.

It was his 56th goal for the Pharaohs to extend his lead at the top of his country’s goalscoring list, and he was rewarded by coming off in the 75th minute – though he was likely unhappy about that!

After the match, he was presented with a ‘100’ shirt, with his teammates making sure to show their appreciation for the 32-year-old.

Speaking after the match, via KingFut, manager Ibrahim Hassan said: “I congratulate Mohamed Salah on reaching 100 games and I am glad it happened with such a big win for us.

“He is an incredible player and crucial for the national team, I hope he reaches 200 caps.”

As we know, Salah is a record hunter but he has quite a few caps to get under his belt if he wants to be his country’s all-time appearance maker, the record of 184 is held by Ahmed Hassan.

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Trent Alexander-Arnold continued to showcase how maddening it was that Gareth Southgate never utilised his strengths with a passing clinic for England on Tuesday evening.

Two games, two starts and two Man of the Match performances for Liverpool’s vice-captain – quite the contrast to how his international breaks have unfolded in recent years.

With Southgate no longer in the picture, Lee Carsley has utilised the 25-year-old at right-back but still with the licence to roam freely when the opportunity arises.

Alexander-Arnold was the star against Ireland, and it was again the case in the 2-0 win over Finland at Wembley, with the Scouser showcasing his passing range with frightening consistency.

2/2. A great week in camp ? @England pic.twitter.com/QyBxC9wbqw

— Trent Alexander-Arnold (@TrentAA) September 10, 2024

As per FotMob, Alexander-Arnold finished his 90 minutes with 82 accurate passes from his 94 attempts, he created five chances and sent 18 passes into the final third, the most of any player.

He ended his night with one assist – though it could have been a lot more if his recipients had the finishing touches – and an xA of 0.6, almost double the next-best of 0.32 from Jack Grealish.

To say it was a passing clinic may be putting it lightly – he was frighteningly good and made it all look so effortless:

Trent vs Finlandpic.twitter.com/echsoXDEMl

— 1947prod. (@1947prod) September 10, 2024

It's just standard for Trent Alexander-Arnold ?#ITVFootball | #ENGFIN pic.twitter.com/JAnEGt8vqW

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) September 10, 2024

He's done it! ?

Harry Kane has a goal on his 100th cap and @England have the breakthrough! ???????#ITVFootball | #ENGFIN pic.twitter.com/uM8iywxPgO

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) September 10, 2024

While Southgate could not work out – or was not willing to at least – how to maximise Alexander-Arnold in his side, Carsley has had no such issues after taking on the role.

Speaking to ITV after England’s win, Carsely said: “We played Trent in a little bit of a different position.

“You have seen from Trent an array of passing and the ability to control the game from a deeper area and get into forward areas as well. It’s not surprising. I’ve seen him do it for Liverpool this season and throughout his career.”

That is the Alexander-Arnold Liverpool have come to know since he broke onto the scene in 2016, and while it has served the Reds well that his international minutes were limited, he’s always been deserving of his place.

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It has been a relatively successful international break for Liverpool, with 18 players featuring for their senior international sides and five getting on the scoresheet.

While Liverpool supporters sighed when the international break came around, following a run of three consecutive wins and clean sheets, it offers players a chance to see some fresh faces.

Harvey Elliott was the notable loser from the break, having to come back to Merseyside due to injury before playing a minute for England U21s and now facing around six weeks on the sidelines with a broken foot.

Meanwhile, a niggle for Alexis Mac Allister seems to have been managed, thankfully, and the Reds will have nearly a clean bill of health for Liverpool’s second run of fixtures under Arne Slot.

Minutes played

Ten Liverpool internationals played the maximum number of minutes over the last two weeks, which could feature in Slot’s selection for the match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Trent Alexander-Arnold – 180
Virgil van Dijk – 180
Ryan Gravenberch – 180
Dominik Szoboszlai – 180
Alisson – 180
Luis Diaz – 180
Caoimhin Kelleher – 180
Andy Robertson – 180
Conor Bradley – 180
Kostas Tsimikas – 180
Jarell Quansah – 172
Wataru Endo – 161
Mo Salah – 165
Cody Gakpo – 156
Trey Nyoni – 150
Alexis Mac Allister – 105
Diogo Jota – 92
Ibrahima Konate – 90
Tyler Morton – 71

Loaned players:

Giorgi Mamardashvili – 180
Luke Chambers – 90
Lewis Koumas – 63
Ben Doak – 20
Kaide Gordon – 13

Goals

Liverpool’s usual prolific scorers were on the scoresheet but arguably the most notable impression came from Trey Nyoni, who shone for England U18s in the Lafarge Tournament.

Gakpo – 1
Mac Allister – 1
Diaz – 1
Endo – 1
Salah – 1
Nyoni – 2

Assists

Ryan Gravenberch and Trent Alexander-Arnold both showed their impressive passing range, with the former appearing to emulate the latter as the Netherlands drew 2-2 against Germany.

Alexander-Arnold – 1
Gravenberch – 1
Tsimikas – 1

Liverpool players in this international break

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After Liverpool sold Fernando Torres to Chelsea for £50 million in 2011, the striker’s form dropped sharply, something which wasn’t unexpected for Liverpool’s players at the time.

In an alternative 2011 reality, Liverpool supporters could have looked upon the sale of Torres as a good move for the Reds on the pitch and in the boardroom.

However, the breaking of hearts and subsequent squandering of £35 million on Andy Carroll meant that was never going to be the case.

For the players at the time, though, the loss of Torres wasn’t quite as devastating as it was for fans.

Speaking on The Overlap, Jamie Carragher explained how the club had seen the Spaniard’s decline coming.

“When Liverpool got the £50 million for Torres, we were like… WOW.”@Carra23 on Fernando Torres and his record-breaking transfer to Chelsea ??? pic.twitter.com/Fou7xZl3nD

— The Overlap (@WeAreTheOverlap) August 26, 2024

“He started getting injuries even in his second season at Liverpool but still doing really well,” Carragher recalled.

“And then his third season at Liverpool which would have been Rafa Benitez’s last season, he was not the same player.

“So they won the Euros in 2008, that was Torres at his best. He was the No. 9, scores the winning goal against Germany.

“In 2010, he wasn’t in the team (for the final). He came on as a sub in the World Cup final and pulled his hamstring and I think even though Spain have won the World Cup, I think that was like a bit of a nightmare.

“The whole world’s watching, he’s come on, he’s getting this tag now of being injury prone. Bang, he’s on for like 10 or 15 minutes, pulls his hamstring.

“Rafa then goes, Roy Hodgson comes in and he was just in a different headspace then.”

Torres had a release clause of £50 million at the time was an enormous sum, £20 million more than Liverpool’s previous record sale of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid.

Despite his injuries beginning to take their toll, as evidenced by him playing just nine times for Liverpool in the 2010/11 season before leaving on January 31, 2011, Chelsea were still willing to break their transfer record.

Carragher remembered how a surprise Liverpool victory under Hodgson helped convince Roman Abramovich to pay the necessary price.

He said: “We beat Chelsea 2-0 at home under Roy Hodgson, Torres scored two and that was like, the deal is done.

“So when we were getting the £50 million from Torres, we were like ‘wow, they’re not getting the Torres that we know’.

“I think we knew that at the time.”

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On the night in question, Torres did indeed score twice and exhibited the kind of ruthlessness that sent defenders running scared in his early years at Liverpool.

Matt Lawton wrote in his report from Anfield for the Mail: “If there remain concerns about his (Torres’) pace, and whether those knee and groin problems have robbed him of the ability to accelerate in the same fashion, he has certainly rediscovered much that is good about his game.

“The predatory instincts were back yesterday, as was the intelligent movement and the touch of a genius.”

Chelsea had long been interested in El Nino and with money to burn, may well have paid up in January whatever the case.

However, it was arguably Torres’ two goals scored against the Londoners shortly before joining them, that helped paper over cracks and secure his ill-fated future in blue.

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