Arne Slot now finds himself tasked with turning his team’s win against Real Madrid into a solid platform for recovery
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rne Slot called for a repeat of Liverpool’s performance against Real Madrid when the Premier League champions visit Manchester City and will no doubt repeat himself in the coming days. For Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior on Tuesday, read Erling Haaland on Sunday. Nullifying another of the game’s finest strikers, while keeping a third clean sheet in a row, would reinforce Slot’s post-Madrid message that Liverpool remain in the chase for the biggest prizes. They do not include the Carabao Cup.
The Champions League victory over Xabi Alonso’s La Liga leaders, who had 13 wins from 14 games before their arrival at Anfield, was the perfect remedy for a Liverpool team looking to heal the wounds of the worst run of Slot’s reign. It was also perfect preparation for what awaits at the Etihad Stadium: an opponent that wants to play out, that will not sit in a low block and carries an obvious, rampant threat.
Slot’s instructions to his team at Anfield included containing the source of 18 of Madrid’s 26 goals in La Liga this season, Mbappé and Vinícius, both of whom will be glad of a break from Conor Bradley. Providing Bradley hasn’t tracked them back to Spain, that is. Liverpool succeeded convincingly, becoming only the third team to prevent Mbappé from scoring against them in a season in which the France international has produced 18 goals in 15 appearances for his club. Haaland has 17 in 13 games for City before his reunion with Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday – plus nine in three outings with Norway. The objective is clear for Liverpool in their attempts to stage a repeat on Sunday.
