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Liverpool's manager demanded a repeat of the team's showing against Real Madrid when the title holders travel to Manchester City this weekend. In place of Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior on Tuesday, substitute Erling Haaland on Sunday. Stopping another of the world's best attackers, while securing a third shutout in a row, would reinforce Slot's post-Madrid message that Liverpool remain in the chase for the biggest prizes.

Perfect Remedy for Recent Woes

The Champions League victory over the Spanish side's La Liga leaders, who had 13 victories from 14 matches 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: a rival that wants to play out, that will not sit in a low block and poses an clear and dangerous attacking prowess.

“It will be similar a little bit,” stated Virgil van Dijk, who dominated Haaland at Anfield the previous campaign. “We are facing a high-flying side 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 good as a team defensively.”

Key Factors

The manager's reasons for the successful performance against Madrid – and Aston Villa on Saturday – were consistent with his analysis of why things went wrong during a run of six losses in seven matches. More recovery time, avoiding early goals, and better conditioning of players such as Alexis Mac Allister and Conor Bradley following disrupted preparations played a part. This supported his previous arguments and decision to prioritize less the Carabao Cup by using rotated players against Crystal Palace.

• The return of the familiar midfield trio of Dominik Szoboszlai, Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch boosted the defense to Liverpool’s defense.
• The welcome reappearance at full-back of Andy Robertson, who has started each of Liverpool’s past three wins, brought composure and authority to a defence.
• The German playmaker impressed again in the Champions League but not from the No 10 role he usually plays in the Premier League.

Dominant Display

Once more, Szoboszlai served as Liverpool’s driving influence in the midfield. His national team skipper is flourishing currently and has cemented his place as a leader in Slot’s side.

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

Next Challenge

The midfielder started in attack alongside Curtis Jones and found the net at the Etihad last season as Liverpool surprised City by adopting a alternative formation. That win in February took Liverpool well ahead at the top with 11 games to play. This weekend they will be playing catch-up but, as the manager emphasized after beating Real, there is a long way to go for Liverpool to stage a recovery.