Elite Arne Slot exposed Chelsea's tactical flaw: his inspiring influence resonates with Liverpool
Arne Slot is all about control.
Especially in the last 20 minutes here at Anfield, when the Liverpool The manager got his defenseman to sit deep, absorbing Chelsea pressure.
He made smart substitutions and finished the game for a hugely significant 2-1 victory that confirms Liverpool are very much in the hunt for the Premier League title.
Slot later revealed that he is emotional and pragmatic.
At the final whistle, he went to find the referee, Jon Brooks, who had penalized Darwin Núñez for a seemingly legitimate shoulder blow on Renato Veiga.
Slot's coaching staff wisely guided the flying Dutchman to a calmer place and regained control of himself.
His brief appearance on the pitch was well received by the fans. Liverpool fans love it when their managers are emotionally invested. Slots players will have loved it too. He showed that he fights for them.
Slot's uplifting influence is all over this Liverpool team, and he didn't even sign any of the players.
His Liverpool are less of an action-packed adrenaline rush like under Jurgen Klopp and more of a controlled and tactically disciplined unit. They are tighter defensively, conceding just three goals in eight Premier League games, one every four hours.
He is an elite manager who spots things quickly.
Slot immediately ordered his players to target Chelsea's sparsely populated left back area. Malo Gusto reversed into midfield and pushed high, a bold tactic by Enzo Maresca but one that Slot quickly took advantage of.
With Gusto on the field, Liverpool launched long balls towards Mo Salah, including a perfect 60-yard turn from Virgil van Dijk.
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Being exposed by Gusto's forward position, the Chelsea defense was unable to cope.
Lacking a leader like Thiago Silva last season, they had no one to organize them or demand Gusto be more judicious in his forays forward.
Tosin Adarabioyo soon brought down Diogo Jota and was rescued from a red card only when the ball deflected slightly towards the touchline and Levi Colwill was able to cover.
The left side of Chelsea's defense was scared and Curtis Jones chased them even more.
Slot's decision to put Jones ahead of world champion Alexis Mac Allister was spectacularly vindicated.
Jones impressed in and out of possession. Stationed as an 8 just in front of Ryan Gravenberch, Jones was assiduous in closing the space around Cole Palmer, even blocking a shot of his. Jones then won a penalty on the half-hour mark when Colwill brought him down. Mo Salah sent it emphatically.
If Slot has had an influence on Jones, Maresca has also had it on Nicolas Jackson.
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The Chelsea centre-forward now uses his pace more intelligently, protecting himself from the offsides that marked his early days at Chelsea. Jackson tied it three minutes into the second half when he ran onto a pass from Moisés Caicedo and finished.
The assistant's flag briefly stopped Chelsea's celebrations. VAR Michael Oliver sent Brooks to the monitor and the referee saw that Ibrahima Konate's heel had touched Jackson.
Chelsea have improved under Maresca, but their defense badly needs a leader.
Reece James made a welcome return but will need time to recover. He was unable to react to Jones' clever move three minutes into the tie.
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Jones angled his run between James and Tosin, timing it perfectly to meet Salah's cross and lifting the ball over Robert Sanchez.
Jones was developing rapidly under Klopp and even more so now. He celebrated in front of the Kop and repeatedly hit the crest on his chest. When Jones left with nine minutes left, along with Trent Alexander-Arnold, the pair received a standing ovation.
Alexander-Arnold put in one of his best defensive displays. You have already spoken about the influence of Slot.
His defense has improved, especially in one-on-one duels, first with Jadon Sancho, whom he beat at half-time. Pedro Neto kept running and was soon dispossessed by a wonderful sliding tackle from Alexander-Arnold.
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When Neto went to the right, setting up Christopher Nkunku on the left, Slot reacted well. He withdrew Alexander-Arnold and sent in Joe Gomez, who excelled in repelling Nkunku and Veiga.
Slot's influence also extends to Gravenberch, who had another great performance in midfield, and also to Núñez.
The Uruguayan did not appear to be a classic Slot type player. He is overly emotional, revels in his brief battle with Benoit Badiashile and rarely kept up the team's form with his runs all over the place.
But Slot could be Núñez's creation if he absorbs the coach's tactical demands. Nunez played well here and some of his passes were particularly clever.
It seemed quite appropriate that Slot lost control when defending a player who often loses control.
But Slot's support for Nunez simply made the Kop love him even more. So did Liverpool's performance and regaining the top spot in the Premier League.
Top Slot suits them.
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