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Arne Slot requested an encore of the team's showing versus Real Madrid as the title holders face Manchester City this weekend. In place of Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior on Tuesday, read Erling Haaland this coming weekend. Shutting down one more of the game’s finest strikers, while securing a third clean sheet in a row, could strengthen the manager's post-Madrid message that Liverpool remain in the chase for the major trophies.

Perfect Remedy for Poor Form

Their European win over the Spanish side's La Liga leaders, who had 13 wins from 14 games prior to coming at Anfield, was the perfect remedy for a Liverpool team looking to heal the wounds of a difficult spell of his tenure. It was also perfect preparation for the challenge ahead at the Etihad Stadium: a rival that prefers to attack, that will not sit in a low block and carries an obvious, rampant threat.

“There will be some similarities,” said Virgil van Dijk, who dominated Haaland at Anfield the previous campaign. “We are facing a very in-form team like today and a striker, like today, who was on fire. When that happens you have to be precise and I think we showed we were solid collectively defensively.”

Reasons for Success

Slot’s list for the successful performance against Madrid as well as Villa last weekend – aligned with his explanations for why things went wrong during a run of six defeats in seven matches. Additional rest, not conceding first, and better conditioning of players such as Alexis Mac Allister and Conor Bradley following disrupted preparations played a part. This supported his earlier points and decision to sacrifice the Carabao Cup by fielding a weakened squad against Crystal Palace.

• The return of last season’s midfield core of Dominik Szoboszlai, Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch boosted the defense to Liverpool’s defense.
• The welcome reappearance at left-back of Andy Robertson, who has started each of Liverpool’s past three wins, restored calmness and authority to a defence.
• The German playmaker enjoyed another good night in the Champions League but not from the No 10 role he usually plays in the Premier League.

Szoboszlai’s Influence

Once more, Szoboszlai served as Liverpool’s driving influence in the midfield. The Hungary captain is excelling currently and has cemented his place as a key figure in the team.

“Dom is consistently reliable,” said Van Dijk. “He is very important. The energy he brings on the pitch is remarkable, the quality that he has is exceptional and he is learning each and every game.”

Next Challenge

Szoboszlai started up front with Curtis Jones and found the net at the Etihad previously as Slot caught City cold by adopting a 4-2-2-2. Victory on that February day took Liverpool 11 points clear at the summit with 11 games to play. On Sunday they will be chasing the leaders but, as the manager emphasized after beating Real, there is a long way to go for Liverpool to stage a recovery.