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You’ll struggle to find two more contrasting starts to the season than those of Liverpool and Aston Villa.
Unai Emery’s side began the campaign in alarming fashion, failing to win any of the first six or score in the first four. But Villa’s fortunes have improved markedly in the last month, with four straight league wins and six victories from seven in all competitions.
Ironically, that is the reverse of the reigning Premier League champions, with the midweek defeat to Crystal Palace consigning Liverpool to its worst domestic run since 1953. Six losses from the past seven, and the weakened team selection on Wednesday has amplified the pressure on Arne Slot ahead of Saturday’s late kick-off at home to Villa, despite beginning the season with seven consecutive victories.
Yet the Dutchman still cuts a relaxed figure. “It’s a sign it’s better to do it the way they did it than we did,” quipped Slot in Friday’s press conference, when asked about Liverpool and Villa’s opposing starts.
“If you don’t win in the beginning, people think you don’t have the same team as last season. Then they start to win and everything is very positive. With us, it’s exactly the opposite.”
Those mismatched starts are borne out in the table, with the two clubs both sitting on 15 points heading into Saturday’s meeting at Anfield.
Unpicking what exactly that means for the teams is difficult; perhaps it more underlines the capabilities of the other 18 sides in the division and just how unforgiving a downturn in form can be. It also highlights the challenges that squad building poses.
Only a few weeks ago, questions were asked of Villa’s recruitment planning; now it’s Liverpool and Slot that are bearing the brunt of the media spotlight.
Few of those now criticizing Liverpool’s spending in the previous window expressed such reservations over the summer, when the glamorous new arrivals of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, et al meant most tipped the Reds to defend their title.
That now feels unlikely, and such has been the shift in results that Slot was forced to defend the make-up of his squad during Friday’s press conference.
“We miss nothing. I am completely happy with the team and convinced with the strategy and the policy we have, but the issue is not all of them have had a proper pre-season, or have been injured during the season,” said the Reds’ defiant head coach ahead of the Villa game.
Admittedly, that line of questioning was fuelled by Slot’s rather unhelpful remarks in recent weeks regarding the qualities of other teams and squads, but also by a growing narrative that this Liverpool squad lacks the physicality required to compete in a Premier League season dominated by long balls and set-pieces.
Jamie Carragher championed that argument after last weekend’s game, and there’s no denying the team would benefit from greater height and an injection of nastiness. Yet, any feeling that the squad assembled over the summer is not equipped to challenge for silverware is misguided.
After all, from the 12 players who started at least half of last season’s Premier League matches, 10 still remain at the club. The talent and mentality that guided Liverpool to the title should still be present.
However, it’s undeniable that the summer signings have failed to have the immediate impact required, while several of last season’s stars have underwhelmed this term. That’s why there is a growing acceptance that this will be a transitional season for Liverpool.
Slot’s task now is not only to steady results but to restore belief in the players, the system, and the project itself. Taking all three points on Saturday would be a start.
Having Ryan Gravenberch back against Villa will help in that regard, as will the opponent’s expansive style, and a return to Anfield.
Recent signs suggest that the visitors could head back to Birmingham with three points on Saturday. Then again, if there’s a lesson in the contrasting fortunes of Liverpool and Villa so far this season, it’s that narratives can change almost overnight.
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