Liverpool

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Arne Slot spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Liverpool's victory against Aston Villa: "Three home games [this week] and that always helps when you play in front of these fans. Tough opponent today, it wasn't an easy one.

"I think it was [even]. They threatened us mainly with their set-pieces which is a big strength for them. They were waiting and waiting for us to lose our patience and then to hurt us on the counter-attack. The funny thing is we had so much possession and scored our goals from counter-attacks. It was an even game when it comes to chances but we dominated the ball more than they did.

"We didn't have the control in the first half because we lost the ball where we should not lose it. Then the first or second duel was not with the intensity we needed and they could counter-attack us. The good thing is we had Virgil [van Dijk] and Ibou [Konate] there so it didn't often lead to a chance.

"In general I liked our performance in the second half a bit more because we showed more patience."

On his team's defensive work-rate: "It's not the first time we see this. The team that won the Premier League the last four years has shown us how important work-rate is. This is the only way to win games and with the quality we have."

On being five points clear at the top of the Premier League: "As a manager if you come into a new club you don't think about how many points after how many games. You think about changing the play style or keeping it as it was. To change the play style you have to do a lot of things on the training ground and in meetings. The only thing I have thought about is how to implement playing style and how to make sure the players keep working as hard as they can."

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Arne Slot has earned 28 points from his first 11 Premier League games in charge of Liverpool (W9 D1 L1), the joint-most by a manager after as many games in the competition along with Guus Hiddink at Chelsea.

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist

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Some observers will have understandably have seen this as a transitional season for Liverpool from the Jurgen Klopp era to Arne Slot's reign but the Reds are not just ahead of schedule, but looking like serious title contenders.

After Manchester City slipped up against Brighton earlier on Saturday, Liverpool knew they had to take advantage to lay down a real marker.

While it could have been easy to wilt under the pressure of expectation they kept their calm to produce a controlled display against Aston Villa and move five points clear at the top.

Under Klopp, Liverpool played exciting but risky football, largely aiming to out score their opponents to get wins.

But under Slot they are a far more pragmatic side and that was displayed in this cool and calm performance against an Aston Villa team desperate to end their own recent poor run of form.

Goals in each half by Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah got the job done but between them Slot produced good game management to know when to slow the game down.

They are right where they want to be heading into the international break and showing with every game they are very much a strong contender in this title race.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Liverpool’s performance, external

What did you make of Aston Villa’s display?, external

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Six matches make up Saturday's Premier League action, and we will bring you every moment.

• Brentford v Bournemouth

• Crystal Palace v Fulham

• West Ham v Everton

• Wolves v Southampton (listen on BBC Radio 5 Live)

• Brighton v Man City - 17:30 (listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Liverpool v Aston Villa - 20:00

Kick-off 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against a variety of guests.

For week 11 he takes on Mylee and Tate from CBBC football drama Jamie Johnson FC (JJFC), which is set in the world of an elite academy at fictional Premier League club Hawx United.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

It was such a lethargic performance by Aston Villa against Club Brugge on Wednesday. I was expecting far more from them.

Villa will need much more intensity if they are going to compete at Anfield, but the form Arne Slot's side are in means I cannot see past a home win for this one.

There is a lot of speculation about Mohamed Salah’s future at Liverpool, but what isn't in doubt is his quality, and he showed it again with his finish against Brighton last week.

Mylee's prediction: I am going with Liverpool here. 2-0

Tate's prediction: This is going to be tit for tat with one team scoring, then the other - and it will end in a draw. 3-3

Read the rest of their predictions and have your own say here

Mandeep Sanghera
BBC Sport journalist

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Liverpool boss Arne Slot was in relaxed, measured and in somewhat jovial mood when he addressed the media on Friday before his side host Aston Villa on Saturday.

You can understand his demeanour considering his side are top of the Premier League and top of the Champions League group stage in its new format after what has been quite the start to the season for the Dutchman.

Slot put the team's success so far down to the quality and hard work of the squad in response to the demands he places on them, with the result being 14 wins from their opening 16 games.

And, while there might be plenty of talk outside of the Anfield club about their prospects for the season, it is not something being talked about within the inner sanctum of the Reds.

"I'm not trying to manage expectations with the squad because we don't talk about expectations," said Slot.

"The only expectations I have is that they put the same effort in on a daily basis like they've done for the last few months, and probably for the past six or seven years. That's the only thing we focus on."

Slot gave a laugh when the contract situations of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, whose deals all expire in the summer, was brought up.

Questions about the futures of the trio have become routine and Slot has become more than adept at dealing with them.

"In general, contract situations are talked about by the people who should talk about it," he said.

"I'm one of them but I should not talk about this in public. I do talk about this with [sporting director] Richard [Hughes]. That's the place that we have to talk about it and not in front of a microphone."

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot says it was "perhaps a surprise to me to see how well" Luis Diaz did when playing through the middle during Tuesday's Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen.

The Colombia forward scored a hat-trick in the thumping 4-0 win.

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot had high praise for midfielder Curtis Jones following his England call-up by interim manager Lee Carsley.

"He has a lot of qualities on the ball," said Slot. "He is never afraid to do something special with it, but sometimes he touches the ball a bit too much in my opinion because he is so confident.

"But confidence is an important tool. He has an incredibly hard work rate and we trust him in defence. He is complete. For him now, it is all about consistency. The best players turn up every three days and that is what he has got to show."

Jones has made 12 appearances in all competitions for the Reds this season, scoring once and providing four assists.

Slot however, batted away suggestions that he has made a significant contribution to Jones' positive trajectory.

"It is not me - it is since he became a father and I had nothing to do with that!" he joked. "You never know if that plays a part or not.

"Since then [the birth of his child] he has been putting great performances in. In pre-season, I thought he was outstanding and he is outstanding again now.

"In general, it probably has to do with how the team plays because every player that comes in has a good performance. That says a lot about the quality of the team and how they play together."

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Aston Villa (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Diogo Jota is on track to return after the international break but Slot would not say what the injury is that has sidelined him in recent weeks.

• On keeping everyone grounded following Liverpool's almost-perfect start: "I’m not trying to manage expectations in the squad because we don’t talk about it. The only expectation I have is that they put in the effort every day and they have done that. Usually with that results come as well."

• He added his players are "not getting carried away by being top of the league" because it is not an unfamiliar position for the club and is still early in the season.

• However, he hopes fans will continue to be excited by their position in the Premier League and Europe because that comes across in the general atmosphere in games.

• He noted that since Curtis Jones became a father "he has been putting in great performances" but joked "I had nothing to do with that!"

• More from Slot on Jones: "In general, it has to do with how the team plays because every player that comes in has a good performance, so that says a lot about the quality of the team and how they play together."

• He also commented on the improvement in Luis Diaz this season: "I have no clue why, but maybe it is because the team provides a lot of chances for these players. If they are in a promising situation, then they can score a goal."

• On the contest between Andy Robertson and Konstantinos Tsimikas at left-back: "My line-ups tell you what I think about this. We have two brilliant full-backs and we play many, many games. There are multiple reasons why the full-backs and midfield are rotated but it is also to do with the quality of the players. I have two very good players."

• Despite managers often changing their usual style to face Liverpool, Slot "does not expect" Unai Emery to adapt his formation for their trip to Anfield.

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Mandeep Sanghera
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool will end an early season test of their trophy-winning credentials against Aston Villa on Saturday and, so far, they are passing with flying colours.

The Reds faced a run of seven testing games in 21 days since the last international break and, in the Premier League, have sandwiched a draw at Arsenal in between wins against Chelsea and Brighton to go top of the table.

Impressively, those results have come among victories against RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen as the Anfield club have moved top of the new-look Champions League table. They have also progressed to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup after beating Brighton.

In all competitions, Liverpool have 14 wins from their opening 16 games under new manager Arne Slot. You could say, if a former shirt sponsor of the club did starts to the season then it might look like the sort the Reds have enjoyed to this campaign.

Slot will be talking to the media at 09:00 GMT this morning prior to the Villa game which precedes the final international break of 2024.

And, despite a dream start to his tenure, it is unlikely the Dutchman will be getting carried away.

If anything, he might take a similar view to Xabi Alonso.

Following his Leverkusen side’s defeat by Liverpool on Tuesday, ex-Reds midfielder Alonso was asked about his former club's prospects in 2024-25 and said: "It’s looking a promising season - but we are still in November”.

Slot has had to deal with constant questions about the futures of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, who are out of contract in the summer.

We’ll see if there is anything else to say on the issue.

Liverpool are preparing a £50m bid for Real Madrid's 24-year-old France midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external

The Reds will rival Manchester United, Arsenal and Juventus for 24-year-old Lille striker Jonathan David. (Corriere dello Sport - in Italian), external

Arsenal have held talks with the agents of Sporting forward Geovany Quenda, with the 17-year-old also on the radar of Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City and Liverpool. (Teamtalk), external

Finally, Liverpool and Bayern Munich have been told by Eintracht Frankfurt they will need to pay upwards of £50m to prise 25-year-old Egypt striker Omar Marmoush away from the club. (Fussball News - in German), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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England interim boss Lee Carsley says Curtis Jones is a player he "highly rates" after calling up the Liverpool midfielder for the Uefa Nations League matches with Greece and Republic of Ireland on 14 and 17 November.

The games will be an opportunity for Jones to make his England debut, having withdrawn from the squad in October and being cut from Gareth Southgate's provisional selection for Euro 2024 after receiving his first call-up in the summer.

"Curtis is an all-round player, plays in various positions and is a player that I highly rate," Carsley said after making the announcement.

"He will be one of the best players I have worked with in terms of his ability. I think he has shown a really consistent level of playing every week now, most weeks especially, at a high level.

"He has shown he can score goals and assist, a player that I've had a lot of success with working in the past and I'm looking forward to working with him."

Image source, PA Media

England interim manager Lee Carsley has named a 26-man squad for the upcoming Nations League games against Greece and Republic of Ireland.

Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall and Southampton centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis have received their first call-ups to the senior side, with Saints' Aaron Ramsdale one of three goalkeepers selected.

The only other uncapped player in the squad is Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones, while there is no place for Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers.

These will be Carsley's final two matches in charge before Thomas Tuchel becomes Gareth Southgate's full-time successor from 1 January.

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Southampton).

Defenders: Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton).

Midfielders: Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Angel Gomes (Lille), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Curtis Jones (Liverpool).

Forwards: Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham).

Image source, Getty Images

I do not think the ongoing speculation on the contracts of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah or Virgil van Dijk will upset the title challenge.

It seems late to be negotiating contracts considering their previous length of deals but they do all seem comfortable at the club.

They will not get to the end of the season not knowing what they are going to do. Plus, if Liverpool are in a position to win silverware at the end of this campaign, it will not make much difference about what they decide to do.

They are still here. They do not seem too worried about the future and are just focusing on the present.

Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

Match of the Day's Stephen Warnock explains shows how Arne Slot's half-time rejig in midfield changed the game in Liverpool's 4-0 victory over Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.

Watch the full Champions League show on BBC iPlayer

Josh Sexton
Fan writer

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Mohamed Salah made himself the hero once again for Liverpool at Anfield this past weekend and in doing so moved himself up to eighth on the Premier League’s all-time top scorers list. It was a trademark strike that served as another reminder of what The Egyptian King can contribute, even in what many are viewing as the twilight of his career.

Whatever the aforementioned 'many' think, eyes and minds are being cast towards those that sign the cheques and contracts at the club with a clear message - Salah must stay.

It is unthinkable to consider the idea that a player with nine goals and seven assists in 15 appearances so far this season is one that can just walk away from the club for free. Not to mention the cautionary tales littered throughout the Premier League in recent times.

Look at Manchester United spending all that money on Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, Arsenal throwing the kitchen sink at Kai Havertz and Chelsea hanging their hopes on Nicolas Jackson, all of whom have proven so far that it is hard to just go out and buy goals - without even mentioning Liverpool’s own outlay.

There is obviously more nuance to any contract negotiation than simply suggesting that the club should do "everything" to get a player to stay, but those in charge of making those decisions would do well to convince fans that securing Salah for the next few years would be a bad investment.

Not to mention the fact that the player himself continues to go above and beyond to publicly state his love for Liverpool - on social media, television and to anybody who asks about his change in hairstyle over summer.

No matter what happens, this decision will be another that defines the legacy of the club’s ownership.

I just hope they fall on the right side of history this time.

Find more from Josh Sexton at The Anfield Wrap, external

It was another special Champions League night at Anfield on Tuesday as Liverpool thrashed Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen 4-0.

Luis Diaz scored a second-half hat-trick to help the Reds maintain their flawless start to the competition.

Real Madrid will make a January move for Liverpool's 26-year-old England right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is out of contract at the end of the season (Marca - in Spanish), external

However, Liverpool are prepared to block any offers for their first-team players in January. (Football Insider), external

Meanwhile, the Reds, Arsenal and Tottenham are interested in Eintracht Frankfurt's 20-year-old Sweden midfielder Hugo Larsson. (Caught Offside), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column