They have been an attacking juggernaut led by Mohamed Salah, with a supporting cast who have all chipped in with goals throughout the campaign. Liverpool are averaging 2. Only Bayern Munich 69 and Barcelona 67 have scored more in their leagues, although Liverpool have played more games. This is how they have done it. It was the first time they came up against a low block and they ran out of ideas.
The main difference between Slot and Klopp is that the current head coach has a more possession-based approach. He wants his side to build attacks through central areas and progress through the thirds.
Liverpool are shooting less than last season β Their expected goals xG per shot has increased from 0. A recurring theme of goals that have come from build-up play is the importance of a line-breaking pass or driving run. Virgil van Dijk has also been important. In a crucial home win over Chelsea in October, Van Dijk played another key role.
Plenty of training-ground work is done on attacking patterns, but Slot admitted earlier this season that it ultimately comes down to the quality of his attackers in and around the penalty box. The low block problems against Forest have rarely caused trouble since.
They are going to have to start inventing new superlatives to describe Salah, who is running out of records to break. His 42 Premier League goal contributions 25 goals and 17 assists saw him become the first player to record two seasons of 40 or more in a single campaign, seven years after hitting 42 in his debut season in Surprisingly, Salah is actually taking fewer shots 3.
