Anfield's side Searching for Improved Flow In spite of English top flight Lead.

Preserve serenity. That was the serene guidance delivered by Liverpool's captain and the young midfielder earlier this week as the Merseyside club processed successive setbacks for the second instance under the Dutch manager.

Slot remained relaxed and upbeat in his latest address, interspersing several voluntary comments that the side he was defending from uncommon censure are top of the English top division. Again. Yet beneath the calming messages and positive standings, there are undeniable issues with the club's displays that, according to Slot himself, run deeper than the initial ten matches of the campaign.

We had been very happy winning the championship,” stated Slot. “However we kept open our vision for the final stages of the campaign to how many times we needed a dead-ball situation [to win].”

Last season's title winners have not been struggling to produce openings from open play or to turn superior ball control into decisive triumphs this term, their manager maintained. The team have actually been experiencing challenges to do the two since the second half of the prior term, when opponents adapted their strategies to stifle Liverpool, and are still searching for answers.

Numerical Evidence

Data support Slot. Over the opening nineteen fixtures of his debut season, Liverpool notched forty-seven strikes with 85.1% (the vast majority) resulting from general play. In the concluding nineteen matches, Liverpool achieved 39 goals, of which 27 (69.2%) were from general play. The drop-off has been corrected in the current campaign, admittedly in limited games, with 10 of their 12 league goals originating from general play (eighty-three point three percent).

• Opening phase: 85.1% of goals from open play
• Closing phase: 69.2% of goals from open play
• This term: over eighty percent of goals from open play

But the team's performances this season, especially the losses at Palace and Galatasaray in the span of less than a week, cannot be attributed to a dip in dead-ball effectiveness alone. In fact, their run of seven victories before heading to Selhurst Park was regularly followed by the reservation that they won late and/or despite an patchy display.

Line-up Problems

The German playmaker is still adjusting to the pace of the Premier League and is a expensive signing that the coach is continuing to integrate to maximum effect. The club's recent defensive signings, one new full-back and the other full-back, were strongly supported by their boss before the setback in Istanbul but are not yet at the performance of the their predecessors.

The forward is short of full sharpness having spent the summer on strike at Newcastle, and the centre-back's form has dipped significantly. The problems goes on. Only Hugo Ekitiké, the leader, the goalkeeper, who will sit out the weekend fixture to the Blues with a muscle problem, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch have played at a good level so far this season.

Key Unavailable player

Liverpool are in dire need of the creative force to regain complete health and his influence over their pace, calmness and forward impetus. The South American star was left out of the last two matches of the previous campaign to begin his return from a nagging groin injury and come back healthy for the summer preparations. Ideally, that was the plan. The midfielder's rehabilitation was lengthier than foreseen, the warm-up matches was often disrupted as a consequence, and a crucial part in Slot's setup has failed to play an entire game for his team following the single-goal success at the King Power Stadium on 20 April.

“You say he is racing to catch up,” Slot stated. “Where I'm from we say he is not in rhythm.” Liverpool will be a changed outfit once the Argentine is directing the center of the park next to his Dutch teammate again.

Looking Ahead

Slot has highlighted the benefits of flexibility in his overhauled lineup, with the summer arrivals the German, Ekitiké, the Swede and the defender capable of perform in a variety of positions, but a club in flux could do with increased regularity in selection to hasten the transition.

I believe we do things differently but I see opponents doing a lot of tactics differently when facing us,” he stated. “The previous manager passed on a lot of advantages but one of the gifts he gave me was ending up in the top three the year before and in fifth position the campaign prior to that.”

The Merseysiders boast enough top-tier stars to fix their unconvincing form, as the midfielder said recently, but Slot admits the answer is trickier than hoping for Wirtz and Isak to hit their stride. the upcoming venue would be a good place to start, though.

“It’s a combination,” he said. “In what way can we get the ball to our fliers? Are we reaching them frequently and in threatening areas {like we did|as we managed|similar