Simon Giles: Arne has wasted no time in slotting right in

Liverpool fans became accustomed to Anfield rocking to Jurgen Klopp's heavy metal brand of football during the German's hugely successful nine-year tenure.

Rock star Klopp has been replaced by Arne Slot this summer and the Dutchman's arrival has brought a more classical composition with him to Merseyside.

Six points, four goals and two clean sheets in Slot’s first two Premier League games mark a so-far seamless evolution for the Reds, who have displayed some noticeable stylistic changes.

Liverpool were strong favourites to beat Ipswich and Brentford but, despite a slow start against the Tractor Boys in their opener, they have won both games with the minimum of fuss.

Two matches is a tiny sample size, and drawing strong conclusions from the opening couple of games as many players return from an off-season truncated by international tournaments isn’t totally reliable, but there are perhaps some trends worth being aware of as the season progresses.

Slot has spoken about finding a better balance between ‘risk and reward’ as he hopes to maintain as much of what made Klopp’s Liverpool special while limiting some of the frailties that were sometimes exposed.

Last season Liverpool took almost 100 more shots than champions Manchester City, but they also conceded 122 more as they embraced a more eventful end-to-end style, trusting their superior quality in both penalty areas to win through in most matches.

It was an exhilarating approach that saw them win the most points from losing positions last term, but they trailed five times more than City and eight times more than league runners-up Arsenal and eventually dug themselves too many holes to keep getting out of.

Their 20.6 shots per match last term was two more than any other side in Europe’s top five leagues, and while their early approach under Slot has been more measured, they have still posted shot totals of 18 and 19.

They were 1-3 to beat Ipswich and 1-4 against Brentford, so comparing their opening performances under Slot to matches they were a similar price to win with Klopp in charge since 2017-18 – a sample of 52 matches – is a fairer comparison.

While their quantity of shots ranks in the middle of the sample, there is a noticeable improvement in the shot quality, perhaps indicating a directive to be more patient around the penalty area to try to prise open better opportunities.

Based on expected goals (xG) their average chance has been one an average finisher would expect to convert 14.5 per cent of the time, up from 10.9 per cent in similar games under Klopp, ranking fourth and 11th in the sample for shot location and being taken on average three yards closer to goal.

That may help improve their chance conversion rate, which will be vital this season. 

It's an area exemplified best by their two league performances against this weekend’s opponents Manchester United last season, when they scored only twice from 61 shots and, as a result, drew both meetings.

The desire for more control and less directness is shown by their long pass totals of 82 and 70 being well below their previous average of 91, but despite increased calmness in their build-up and in the final third, there has still been penetration, with the 46 and 41 touches in the attacking penalty box ranking in the upper quarter of the sample.

We are yet to see how they will approach games when trailing and what the response from supporters will be if they perceive there to be a lack of urgency, but Slot will hope that will happen less often due to increased stability at the back by allowing fewer dangerous counters.

Brentford’s best chances came from set-pieces – their three open-play shots all came from range and the Bees failed to register a chance of note from the 56th minute onwards as Liverpool shut the game down.

When Liverpool have had to defend in their opening two league matches they’ve had the numbers back to allow fewer clear shots of Alisson’s goal, halving opponents average shot quality.

Creating chances worth 2.5 xG and allowing one of only 0.5 or less in both games is an efficient way of winning matches and means Liverpool have already twice achieved a benchmark they used to do on average just three times per season between the 2017-18 and 2023-24 campaigns.

It’s still early days and players are at their freshest, but Slot will hope his more composed style also reduces the physical strain to help the Reds stay the course.

A trip to Old Trafford will provide a tougher test, particularly of midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, who has enjoyed setting the tempo in the number six role, but with games against Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Wolves to come after the international break, Slot has a real opportunity to build on the solid early foundations he appears to have laid.

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