The Arne Slot era has begun.
After a sluggish start against Ipswich Town, Liverpool secured a comfortable win on the opening day of the Premier League season thanks to second-half goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah.
Tougher tests lie ahead, but this was a satisfying start for Slot as he seeks to ensure Jurgen Klopp is not too badly missed on Merseyside.
These were the main points of conversation at Portman Road.
Why were Liverpool so much better in the first half?
The team talk with Slot was supposed to be good after a disappointing first half performance – and it proved to be so.
Liverpool managed just three shots, none of which were on target, and had an expected goals total of 0.11 in the first 45 minutes. It was a performance full of errors and lacking rhythm, composure and confidence, as the Opta first-half graph below shows.
But in the second half, we saw what the rebound looked like. The pace of play increased, the movement improved, the confidence and accuracy in decision-making and passing increased.
The midfield trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai were more prominent and advanced, making it easier to open up the Ipswich defence.
Off the ball, the team performed much better too, not allowing Ipswich to play the way they did in the first half. Having more space allowed them to force opponents back and, as the manager noted after the game, they won more duels.
In the first half, Liverpool succeeded in only 41.5 percent of their duels.
In the second, this percentage rose to 54.5 percent, a more respectable figure.
Kieran McKenna’s side were full of energy in the first half, as you would expect from a newly promoted side, but their level dropped in the second 45 minutes and Liverpool took full advantage of that.
When Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota missed two golden chances in a row, the problem of poor finishing emerged last season, but once Jota and then Salah succeeded in finishing off quick and well-thought-out attacks, the result was guaranteed.
If they were medical professionals, their advantage would have been much greater if they had been working full time.
Andy Jones
What did we learn about slot on the touchline?
The locals went crazy over the match announcer before the match kicked off.
“Our time has come. Welcome to the Premier League,” he shouted before launching into the “Blue Army” chant.
Portman Road was packed with fans as Ipswich returned to the Premier League, but Slot stood with his hands in his pockets, looking calm amid the noise.
The contrast between Klopp and his players could not have been greater. There were no wild gestures, no angry confrontations with the fourth official when decisions went against his team.
Play was largely limited to the sidelines (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Even during a first half marked by numerous errors when Liverpool looked weak on the counter-attack, missed a series of easy free-kicks and failed to trouble Ipswich goalkeeper Christian Walton, Slot kept his cool, encouraging his players and applauding them repeatedly.
On one occasion, he ordered Gravenberch to adjust his position in his defensive midfielder role, then urged his backline to advance when he felt they were getting deep.
While Slot headed straight to the dressing room at half-time, it was his assistant Sepke Hulshof who approached referee Tim Robinson to air Liverpool’s grievances about the officiating.
Liverpool played with more fluidity and control in the second half, but there were no wild celebrations from Slot to welcome Liverpool’s goals. Instead, he simply clenched his fists and hugged his backroom staff.
With the job done, Slot was able to enjoy the closing stages as the away fans chanted his name, having become the first Liverpool manager to win his opening league game since Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier oversaw a 2-1 win as joint managers in August 1998.
James Perse
Why were Liverpool so vulnerable to attacks from their own angles?
If Slot wanted more control and fewer counter-attacks his team faced, it was not a good start – especially when chances came after Liverpool corners.
Ipswich’s best chance of the first half came when Alexis Mac Allister wasted a chance on the edge of the box after an attacking set-piece, and all it took was one pass from Liam Delap for Omari Hutchinson to put the ball past Liverpool.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was the only player back on the pitch, and along with Szoboszlai, he managed to slow down the Ipswich striker and force him into a trick shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Omari Hutchinson had a chance after failing to take a corner for Liverpool (Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images)
And it was Alexander-Arnold who again thwarted another counter-attack from a corner when he made a crucial interception earlier in the first half.
This was high on Slot’s list of concerns in the first half, as Ipswich’s confidence grew and Liverpool’s poor performance helped them.
They will not be allowed to escape easily from the face of stronger opposition.
Andy Jones
How did Gravenberch perform as a No. 6?
With Liverpool’s pursuit of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi failing, the playmaker position remains up for grabs, but Gravenberch has shown he could be the answer for now.
Slot wants a pressure-resistant midfielder to fill that role, comfortable receiving the ball under pressure and carrying it forward. Those are the attributes the Dutch midfielder possesses as he seeks to restart his Liverpool career after a sluggish first season.
The pressure was intense and it was not easy at all in the first half as Ipswich’s pressure made it difficult for Liverpool to build attacks from the back. When Gravenberch got the ball he used it well but he was unable to exploit it enough forcing his team-mates to look for long passes.
Ryan Gravenberch has performed well in his role as No. 6 (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
His performance improved significantly in the second half as he helped control the game from deep and was more involved. He was a key element in starting Liverpool’s attacks and regaining possession.
With the lack of possession, there are still some concerns as Liverpool looked open and controlled at times, especially in the second half, but in the absence of a perfect solution these are the growing pains that Slott has to deal with.
Andy Jones
What did Slott say?
Slot admitted Liverpool were off their game in the first half and accused his players of losing too many duels to a motivated Ipswich side.
“The first half wasn’t what we expected,” he told TNT Sports. “They were too aggressive and too much on us. We couldn’t find rhythm or any balls behind us. The second half was fun to watch.”
“The first thing I said (at half-time) was that we don’t have to talk about tactics if we lose a lot of duels. And that’s what we did.”
Slot also explained that he replaced Jarrell Quansah in the second half for tactical reasons, not fitness reasons.
“Jarrel wasn’t losing all the duels – many of us lost a lot of duels – but we needed Ibrahima Konate to win those long balls in the air for the No. 9. That gave us control.”
What’s next for Liverpool?
Sunday, August 25: Brentford (H), Premier League, 4.30pm BST, 11.30am EDT
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(Top photo: Mark Atkins/Getty Images)
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