Opta data QUESTIONS Arne Slot’s start to life at Liverpool

Liverpool couldn’t have wished for a much better start to the season.

Four wins from five games, 10 goals scored and only one conceded sees the Reds sit second in the league, only one point behind Manchester City. This is probably about what Arne Slot was seeing in his frantic pre-season dreamscapes.

Not only are the results good but the performances are backing up the points on the table. Trent Alexander-Arnold is already in midseason form, Ryan Gravenberch is seemingly the defensive midfield star of the future and Luis Diaz is already only three goals away from his highest scoring Premier League season ever.

Read more: Liverpool have ALREADY lost the media war against three of their most important players

Easiest Start?

But maybe all of this shouldn’t come as a surprise, as performance analysts Opta declared that Liverpool had the easiest opening five games of any team in the league this season.

Opta use an analytical system to compare results between over 13,000 teams around the world and assign or detract points from the winners and losers, respectively, of every match they play. This then translates to a score on a scale of 0 to 100.

Liverpool’s opponents in the first five games had an average score of 83.7. For reference, Liverpool’s own rating is 95.1. Brentford has the toughest open to the season according to this model, with an average of 89.6.

The model largely backs up what we have seen on the pitch so far. Ipswich, Brentford, Manchester United and Bournemouth didn’t put up much of a fight against the Reds, with all the sides currently sitting in the bottom half of the table. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest, who have handed Liverpool their only defeat of the season, are rapidly climbing in the rankings due to their strong start to the season.

The team should be buoyed by the start to their season regardless. As the old adage goes, you can only beat what’s in front of you. League performances have been backed up by a strong 3-1 win away in Milan in the Champions League and a 5-1 demolition of West Ham in the League Cup also. 

Regardless, a model isn’t necessary to realise that the upcoming matches against Chelsea, Arsenal and Aston Villa will be sterner tests than those Liverpool have faced so far. Arne Slot will be no doubt revelling in the chance to show what he is all about against the top-four contenders.

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