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Whether some like it or not, the reality is the same: Liverpool, currently under the leadership of the Dutchman, Arne Slot, is an amazing "winning machine". Brentford's Danish coach, Thomas Frank, rightly described them as "the best team in the world" after their new 0-2 away win over his own team. Truths, no matter how hard they may be for some, must be told. Especially in football, which is just a game.
The Dutch coach managed to turn the difficult succession of Jurgen Klopp into a fairy tale, naturally having a team ready in his hands. Which has scored 25 wins in 32 games and already holds first place in the Premier League and an absolute path to the UEFA Champions League.
At Anfield, Slot's "Reds" defeated last year's German champions (4-0 over Bayer Leverkusen), Spanish champions Real Madrid (2-0) and English champions Manchester City (2-0) without conceding a single goal.
Now, of course, it's Lille's turn on Tuesday (21/1) in the 7th round of the Champions League. England or Europe, Premier League and Champions League don't seem to make a difference for the "Reds".
Fiery attack, iron defense, these are the two pillars on which the club once again relied on on Sunday against Brentford (0-2).
“Technically, tactically and physically, they are very good everywhere on the pitch,” Brentford manager Thomas Frank told the BBC. “For me they are the best team in the Premier League and in the world at the moment.”
“I agree with him,” former Wales defender Ashley Williams told “Match of the Day.”
“At the moment I think they have the strongest team. I think they will win the league and they are aiming for the Champions League” he added.
However, towards the end of the match at Brentford, Liverpool’s strengths and weaknesses in recent weeks were highlighted.
Mainly, the difficulty in converting the numerous chances created by Mohamed Salah and his teammates: they attempted 35 shots without scoring, before succeeding in the 36th and 37th, in added time with Uruguayan international forward Darwin Nuñez.
Thus fell the... fortress of Brentford. Against Nottingham Forest (1-1) last Tuesday, the equalizer also came after a corner from Kostas Tsimikas and a shot from Diogo Jota, both of whom had entered as substitutes twenty-two seconds earlier.
Before the trip to Nottingham Forest, another draw in the Premier League, against Manchester United (2-2), and a defeat by Tottenham (1-0) in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final.
“If you look at the number of chances created, nothing has changed from today to the first half of the season,” the Liverpool manager said at the time.
The change, “at the moment,” is that “it’s more difficult for us to convert our chances into goals,” he admitted. There is the clumsiness of the forwards, at times, but also the “low defences” of the opponents who “jump on every ball every time we have a chance,” the Dutchman added.
Lille will have to resist the waves that will come. Is it an impossible task? Perhaps, unless
Bruno Genesio’s team shows the box of miracles again, as they did this season against Real Madrid (1-0) and Atletico (3-1). A little patience and we will find out…
Manos Staramopoulos
Journalist and Analyst of International Football and Affairs
Chief Editor English Zone of Discoveryfootball.com
Athens (Greece)