Arne Slot only needed to glance a few yards to his left at his opposite number on the touchline at Old Trafford on Sunday to remind himself it is far from easy to impose an identity on a new team.

 

From a distance, this pair has a lot in common: two bald Dutchmen who came to England with glowing coaching references after excelling in the Netherlands.

But Slot has achieved in three weeks what Erik ten Hag has failed to do in three seasons. Already, Slot's philosophies and plans are clear, and Liverpool look like a well-coached unit, ready to succeed.

United are still a mess, their match plans falling apart like their decaying stadium. Cries of 'Ole' rang out from the away end as Liverpool made a mockery of their rivals with pass after pass in the 3-0 win. New United owners, same old problems.

There have been triumphs under Ten Hag, but each success has felt somewhat fluky. How heavy must Manchester City's nights on the tiles have been between winning the Premier League title and losing to this United side in the FA Cup final?

 

Talking of hangovers, there hasn't been one at Anfield in the aftermath of Jurgen Klopp's glory era. Instead, Liverpool fans are drunk on their new manager and his style of play, already dubbed 'Slotball'.

It is only three games, so let's not get carried away. They have played promoted Ipswich, Brentford, who finished 16th last term, and United, who came eighth but overperformed by 20 points and eight places according to expected goals (xG).

Much tougher tests await, but the signs are extremely promising. Seven goals scored, zero conceded, and all the swagger of a team ready to make a title tilt.

So, what has changed? Chances created, possession, and xG remain fairly similar to the last season under Klopp, but Liverpool are taking fewer shots and making fewer high turnovers.

The new system, a 4-2-3-1, which varies depending on the opposition, is allowing them to be solid at the back but still arrive in dangerous areas at the other end. They played more directly against United, yet the theme has been patience and 'killing' teams with passes.

 

Slot is obsessed with those finer details. 'He's really into analyzing opponents for hours and hours,' a Rotterdam-based source told Mail Sport. 'Feyenoord players always said, "Everything the manager predicted, we saw in the game." Players are never surprised. Arne is a workaholic.'

The 45-year-old and his lieutenants run daily meetings, which some players have described as 'like going back to school'. The squad is buying in readily to Slot's assertive but calm style.

It is not quite lectures in front of a blackboard, but Slot radiates teacher-like energy. Praise is commonplace, but each meeting is focused on how players can improve, even if they have put in a near-perfect display.

Slot will fly back home to the Netherlands this week to visit family during the international break. Loved ones have visited—his son Joep enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of Anfield last month—but he has been living on his own in a flat.

That has allowed him to be all-in when it comes to preparation. He is an early riser, and players report to the training ground just after 9 a.m. every day, when they sit down as a group to have breakfast. Many enjoy the newly installed coffee bar run by two local lads.

 

Slot's working day continues after the players have gone home. He pores over footage of matches but also training drills. He watches every session back and uses clips in his daily lectures.

Though he enjoys his time at the laptop, the Bergentheim-born boss's true passion is being an old-fashioned coach on the training pitches. One of the main reasons Liverpool hired Slot—a head coach rather than a manager—was his track record of improving players.

Liverpool's data nerds, led by head of research Will Spearman, noted how nearly every Feyenoord player had increased their output under him.

One significant case study is winger Luis Sinisterra, whom the club was ready to give up on just before Slot joined them in 2021.

'I don't know what Slot did, but all of a sudden Sinisterra was fulfilling his potential and more,' adds the Dutch source. 'He went to Leeds for £25 million, one of Feyenoord's biggest sales ever. Before Slot, he could have gone for a dime!'

There are plenty more examples at Feyenoord and Slot's previous club, AZ Alkmaar, of him signing little-known players and selling them for huge money.

This is pertinent now when looking at the early-season performances of Luis Diaz.

The Colombian has struggled in front of goal since his move from Porto. Following Sadio Mane's exit, the Reds missed a goal threat on the left to mirror Mohamed Salah's output from the right. Diaz managed 0.35 goal contributions per game last season. This term, it is 1.33.

Slot earmarked Diaz as a player he could improve, and one-on-one sessions focused on his off-the-ball positioning, when to make runs, and choosing the right time to pass or shoot. Diaz was in the right place at the right time twice on Sunday to score.

Another improver is Dominik Szoboszlai, the Hungary captain who started last term well but whose form fell off the proverbial cliff. He is now thriving in an advanced No. 10 role, leading the press alongside Diogo Jota. His passing, running, and creative stats have dramatically improved.

Szoboszlai has run more than any Liverpool player this season (21.1 miles) and is starting to put in solid defensive shifts despite his more advanced role. With his pass to tee up Salah on Sunday, the former RB Leipzig man matched his assist tally for last season—with 35 games to spare.

Liverpool's most improved player, though, is Ryan Gravenberch. After his move from Bayern Munich last summer, Gravenberch made a slow start on Merseyside, mostly limited to substitute appearances or run-outs in the cups.

Now, in a new No. 6 role, he is excelling. Slot's assistant, Johnny Heitinga, worked with the 22-year-old at Ajax, and he has led several analysis sessions to teach Gravenberch the position. The midfielder has been warned off watching clips of other No. 6s and urged to just learn how to play it from Slot and Co.

In a similar way to Rodri and Declan Rice, though, Gravenberch is not only there to sit in front of the defense. He bombed forward on Sunday and glided through the midfield.

Liverpool's defensive shape resembled a 4-2-4, which suffocated United as they tried to play out. '(United's) full backs are really high, and then Casemiro comes in between,' said Slot on Sky Sports in an interview that picked apart the home side's game plan.

'If you pick up the ball and you can keep Diaz and Salah high, you're constantly one-on-one. Then you need midfielders that can run, and we had three of them that kept running (Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, and Gravenberch), and if they arrive in a duel, they are aggressive enough to win it.

'That was one of the main reasons we could win.'

Liverpool have had just one injury this season, and the unchanged XI on Sunday will need a rest as the fixtures pile up. The signing of Federico Chiesa means Liverpool now have quality backups in all 11 positions. The Italy forward will do fitness work this week.

Slots can be ruthless. He hooked center back Jarell Quansah at halftime in the opening win at Ipswich. And despite his first-half brace, Diaz nearly got the same treatment on Sunday. He was brilliant in an attacking sense, but Slot was unhappy with his defensive work.

Strangely, given his analytical approach, Slot did not watch back Liverpool's two frustrating trips to Old Trafford last season. He figured United's style had changed, so did not see the point.

His planning for what is typically a fiery fixture included efforts to strip it of emotion—a far cry from Klopp's roaring team talks. But it worked, and Liverpool players are thriving. Every day is a school day for Slot's new pupils. The three tests so far have produced 'A' grades. Now can they pass the tougher examinations ahead?