The Key Players for Arne Slot at Liverpool So Far This Season

The Arne Slot era has got off to a flying start for Liverpool fans. Many feared that after the departure of Jurgen Klopp, who announced his nine-year tenure at Anfield would come to an end last season, Slot would struggle to reconnect the fans and the club following a year that had so much promise but ultimately flattered to deceive.

An inconsistent end to last season resulted in the Reds missing out on a final Premier League title for Klopp, but there were enough encouraging signs to suggest that the current group of players have what it takes to eventually lift the trophy. That said, Slot endured a challenging summer in which he saw many of his top transfer targets turn down moves to Liverpool.

Indeed, the pursuit of a holding midfielder drew blanks as Martin Zubimendi opted to stay at Real Sociedad, meaning Slot would make just two signings – Federico Cheisea and Giorgi Mamardashvili, who returned to Valencia on loan for the season.

Even with a limited squad, the Dutch manager has made a near-perfect start to life on Merseyside, with the home defeat to Nottingham Forest the only blemish preventing a perfect record heading into the second international break of the season.

Top of the table after seven games, the Liverpool vs Chelsea odds are in the Reds’ favour as they welcome Enzo Maresca’s side to Anfield. The Italian got a taste of the atmosphere when he took his Leicester City side to Liverpool in the EFL Cup, but things will be ramped up a few notches as Maresca looks to oversee some consistency in his Chelsea side.

For Slot, he will once again need to call upon his key players to get the job done against a contender for the Champions League places. So far, several players have stepped up since his arrival and this has been reflected in recent results. Here are some of the players to watch as Liverpool return to Anfield to try and extend their lead at the top of the Premier League.

Mohamed Salah

If this is to be Mohamed Salah’s final season at Liverpool, the Egyptian will want to bow out with at least one more trophy to show for his time at Anfield.

Salah, who arrived from Roma in 2017 after struggling to adapt to Chelsea as a young player under Jose Mourinho, has become a Liverpool legend and could become the eighth-highest scorer in Premier League history if he continues his form in front of goal.
While Erling Haaland may snatch the Golden Boot after hitting double figures already, Salah has reinvented himself under Slot as more of a playmaker, providing four assists in seven games, but if he does leave on a free, questions will have to be asked of the Liverpool hierarchy.

Ryan Gravenberch

Perhaps Liverpool’s player of the season so far, any concerns raised about Slot lacking a number six have been put to rest by Ryan Gravenberch.

Any football odds with the Dutchman to be on the winning team looks good following his bright start to life under compatriot Slot – the confidence he lacked in his first season and, indeed, at Bayern Munich seems to be a thing of the past with a string of game-winning performances.

Assured in possession and a wonderful technician, Gravenberch’s physical attributes sometimes go under the radar, but his ability to break up play and turn quickly has added more control to Liverpool’s midfield.

Ibrahima Konaté

When Slot made the decision to hook Jarrel Quansah off at half-time on the opening game of the season away at Ipswich Town, Ibrahima Konaté could well have ended up changing the entire trajectory of the Slot era.

The Dutchman showed his ruthlessness with a purely tactical decision – no sentimentality towards the young Quansah, who had earned his stripes in pre-season – instead choosing to bring in Konate, who won all of his duels in the second half and laid the foundations for a victory on the road.

Since then, the 25-year-old has reunited his partnership with Virgil van Dijk and scored key goals away at Wolverhampton Wanderers and AC Milan in the Champions League.

With talks of a new deal to reward Konate, expect him to be a crucial component in Slot’s plans for the foreseeable future.