Liverpool forced Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville to change his prediction early and eat his words after a fantastic start. The Reds defeated Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 in the Champions League bout at Anfield on Tuesday as the fixture congestion continues.
Liverpool have won 14 out of 16 games in all competitions so far despite having plenty of room for improvement. The senior team is still adjusting to the new tactical demands from Arne Slot despite playing under the same philosophy.
Slot has emphasized the need to control the game more efficiently and focus on the “risk vs reward” factor constantly. The new style of play has provided more structure in phases where the Reds left a lot of space before.
Achieving victories despite not reaching anywhere near the peak performance is a sign of a team capable of winning trophies. The Reds need to maintain their consistency and avoid any complacency like they suffered against Nottingham Forest to achieve success.
Liverpool also suffered from a severe injury crisis last season under the legendary manager Jurgen Klopp, hampering their campaign negatively. However, the new style under Slot has provided hope that players will avoid injury crisis by making calculative efforts.
Speaking to the Overlap US (via YouTube), Neville changed his top four predictions where he put his Manchester United over Liverpool earlier this season. He said:
“I never change my predictions at this stage of the season, but my predictions were that Liverpool wouldn’t even be in the top four. That has to change, I think. Because they’ve done a far better job of settling Arne Slot in than I imagined and getting over the Jurgen Klopp exit. But I do think City and Arsenal will hit their stride at some point and at that point they will prove to still be the best two teams in the country.
Nevertheless, the Sky Sports pundit Neville remained adamant that Liverpool are still far behind Manchester City and Arsenal. He added:
“So, I don’t feel like I’m watching a champion team, but if this is the real City and Arsenal that we’re going to see all season and they’re going to be as inconsistent as they’ve been in these first ten games, then we could end up with a shot,”
Neville has made baffling statements throughout this season, a tradition he has kept since returning to punditry from Valencia’s embarrassment. The Man United legend has faced severe criticism from the Reds fans for his commentary during the Liverpool games.
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However, Liverpool and the Kopites want these pundits to continuously undermine the club as it gives Slot the umbrella to work his magic without any pressure.