The Debate: Are Liverpool genuine Premier League title challengers?

All the title talk prior to the 2024/25 Premier League campaign commencing suggested a two-horse battle would ensue between Arsenal and Manchester City.

Advance seven matches into the new season and while the pair remain prominent in the betting at 11/8 and 7/4 respectively, Liverpool's electrifying start to life under Arne Slot has resulted in the Reds' title odds being slashed to 7/2.

A victory over Crystal Palace before the October international break means Liverpool are perched prettily at the top of the Premier League table and optimism regarding the club's title chances is beginning to blossom around Anfield.

Do Slot's outfit have what it takes to sustain a charge for Premier League glory? Or will their chances fade as the season progresses?

Members of the bet365 News team debate whether Liverpool are genuine Premier League title challengers.

Attacks win you games, while Arne Slot’s defence could win Liverpool titles.

Ellis Statham

While challenging for the title would be a tough ask in his first season, let’s not forget the Liverpool team that Slot has inherited since replacing Jurgen Klopp.

Slot has taken over a Liverpool team that was sat top of the league after 30 games last season.

A contributing factor to Klopp’s side’s downfall was the inability to compete in midfield after missing out on main targets Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.

However this season, despite missing out on primary target Martin Zubimendi, Slot has showed his ability to improvise by transforming Ryan Gravenberch into the ideal defensive midfielder. Partnered with World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister, Slot has seemingly solved the Reds’ biggest weakness in a matter of months.

While you may think that the remodelling of the Liverpool midfield isn’t enough to make them title challengers, shall we remind ourselves of the abundance of quality the Reds possess elsewhere on the pitch?

Liverpool arguably have the best goalkeeper (Alisson Becker), central defender (Virgil van Dijk), right back (Trent Alexander-Arnold) and right winger (Mohamed Salah) in world football.

Many may have thought that it would be a near impossible job to elevate these four players to an even higher standard, but Slot has certainly done this.

Alisson, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold are part of a back five who have conceded just two goals in seven games in the league, four less than Arsenal and six less than Manchester City.

Under Klopp, Liverpool’s best defensive record after seven games was in the 2018/19 season where they conceded three goals.

Slot has bettered that in his first season in charge.

An immense defensive record often means a lack of goals. Well, not in this case.

Slot’s Reds are the fifth-highest top scorers in the league, with Salah contributing to an incredible eight goals, and the revitalised Luis Diaz with six contributions.

Questions may loom over whether Liverpool can keep up this fine run of form after the Reds capitulated towards the end of last season.

Well, Slot has introduced a system that differs heavily from that of Klopp’s. Liverpool have more control of games, where last season the Reds may have unintentionally opened up the game to the opposition, conceding chances at a higher frequency as a result.

Having watched Liverpool on a weekly basis, the team are playing with a similar level of freedom as they were under Klopp, which was a recipe for success for many years.

This, combined with considerably more control in games, shown through their immense defensive record so far this season, gives Liverpool the foundations for a history-making campaign, where the Reds can certainly have a say on the whereabouts of the league title come May.

The next two months will dictate whether Liverpool are true title contenders and their summer transfer failings may come back to haunt them.

Jaquob Crooke

Yes, Liverpool have commenced the new campaign in irresistible form. Yes, they have a plethora of world-class quality within their ranks and yes, they have individuals capable of securing vital victories off their own accord on any given occasion.

The honeymoon period has been a delightfully rosy one for Arne Slot, winning six of his opening seven Premier League matches and taking victories in both of his UEFA Champions League outings against Italian opposition.

There’s not a great deal of fortune to their current standing, either. Liverpool, at this precise moment, deserve to be top.

They’ve conceded just twice from a league-low xGA and, unsurprisingly, their wealth of attacking talent has been firing. Scoring 13 goals from an xG of 13.8, their underperformance indicates they can still sharpen their finishing, though it’s a reassurance that their chance creation is plentiful.

What’s not to love?

Unfortunately, all honeymoon periods must come to an end.

Of the seven teams they have faced so far, only Nottingham Forest are currently in the top 10 and they happen to be the one side to have defeated Liverpool so far this season.

Nuno Espirito Santo concocted the perfect recipe to stifle Liverpool in their own backyard before snatching victory with an incisive counter-attack. Don’t be surprised if others follow the Portuguese’s blueprint and emerge with rewards.

The Reds responded impressively to the setback, travelling to Milan and winning in style before dispatching Bournemouth, West Ham in the EFL Cup, Wolves and Crystal Palace.

Asides from Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, Slot’s team are yet to encounter a team functioning at their best and when the league resumes in a fortnight’s time, a gruelling test of their credentials lies ahead.

Liverpool encounter Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton, Aston Villa, Southampton, Man City and Newcastle in the next two months. Those fixtures are perched in the middle of arduous meetings with RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.

It’s a relentless schedule that will intensely scrutinise Liverpool’s squad depth. If they come out at the other end still challenging at the front, only then should the Reds be considered genuine title contenders.

My problem is that I believe by the time December arrives, their form will have tailed off. I still see Liverpool as certainties for a top-four finish but when injuries and fatigue begin to take their toll, Slot lacks the player resource in comparison to the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal to be able to compete.

The club’s failure to bolster the squad during the summer transfer window will haunt them eventually.

Slot’s rightfully received the plaudits for a marvellous start but we’re yet to see the Dutchman tackle any major adversity. One stellar element of his reign at Feyenoord was the ability to recover from a defeat; the Rotterdam club did not suffer back-to-back losses during Slot’s three-year tenure at De Kuip.

Achieving a feat like that will be a far sterner challenge in the Premier League. If Liverpool were to suffer consecutive losses, Slot’s managerial expertise will be thrust under the microscope and that’s where we’ll see if he truly is the man to take the club forward.

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