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Manager’s ability to improve individuals has helped the club to the summit of both Premier and Champions Leagues Arne Slot had asked for judgment to be reserved on Liverpool’s potential until after the seven matches between the October and November international breaks. It’s not jumping the gun to declare it serious, powerful and rich after six of those games. Tuesday night at Anfield presented Xabi Alonso with an opportunity to demonstrate up close why the clamour for him to succeed Jürgen Klopp as Liverpool manager was more than an emotional call. But it was Slot’s name that rang out from the Kop immediately after the final whistle after yet another victory and another reminder that, when it comes to succession planning, Michael Edwards, the chief executive of football at Fenway Sports Group and the man who appointed Richard Hughes as Liverpool sporting director, has few equals. Slot wanted to see how Liverpool handled the dual demands of Champions League and Premier League football against higher-calibre opposition before passing comment on any title credentials. He may continue to refuse going down the hostage to fortune route, but his team have answered for him in the five wins and one draw that precede Aston Villa’s visit to Anfield on Saturday. “Work in progress. ” Virgil van Dijk said it again after Liverpool’s second-half destruction of Bayer Leverkusen. The defeat was only the German champions’ third across all competitions since the start of last season and their heaviest since Alonso was 10 days into the job in October 2022. The Liverpool captain has a point. The first-half performance was ineffective, just as the first-half display against Brighton on Saturday was poor, but once again the response to Slot’s interval instructions was emphatic. Liverpool’s past four games have contained noticeable improvement in the second half. That mirrors Klopp’s Liverpool, as do the comebacks that secured a valuable point at Arsenal and the victory over Brighton. The reaction to that Mohamed Salah winner, with fans of all ages losing it as they careered up and down the steps, reflected an early but significant moment in the Premier League season on a day when Manchester City and Arsenal lost. Slot is marrying Klopp traits with the benefits of his calmer approach; more control and focus on staying in position have improved Liverpool as a defensive unit in particular compared with last season. Tuesday brought Liverpool’s eighth clean sheet in 16 outings this term as they ended the night on top of the Champions League and Premier League tables. The head coach’s reputation for improving individual talent, a vital part of Feyenoord’s rise under him, has transferred quickly to Merseyside to the benefit of Ryan Gravenberch, Ibrahima Konaté and Cody Gakpo among others. Even a senior pro such as Van Dijk is thriving on the extra responsibility of building attacks from the back. “We are happy, ” Van Dijk said after Leverkusen. “But we want to be happy at the end of the season and that is all about working each day and working on things that we have to improve because there are still so many things to improve. We all know that as players and the manager is very keen to show that too. “If you think about the Brighton game, they have a specific way of playing so if your press is not the best they will punish you for it. I have said it many times, we’re still a work in progress. The manager wants us to defend in a certain way and we try to do that and solve things on the pitch as best we can. It doesn’t always go perfect as you’ve seen in so many games but the good thing is we make sure we are willing to defend together, so when they beat the press we are back to not concede any chances or crosses or whatever. There are so many moments and things in games that we are doing well and I think so far, so good in terms of results. ” In this defining period Liverpool have found ways to win evenly poised games (Chelsea and Leipzig), to come from behind (Arsenal and Brighton), to make wholesale changes and advance to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals (Brighton again) and to increase their intensity and quality when necessary (Leverkusen and Brighton). Slot’s tactical adjustments, whether deploying Luis Díaz in a central striking role against the German champions or reconfiguring his midfield during the second half against Fabian Hürzeler’s side, have delivered. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Slot has a remarkable 14 wins from 16 games and would be on course for a 95-point season should Liverpool maintain their Premier League form. It may not require that amount to win the title should City and Arsenal continue to falter. The Dutchman was told he was making the job look easy. “No, no, no, not at all, ” he replied. “You are only looking at the results. We have had to fight really hard. You have to play at a really high intensity to win your games. If you want to win [trophies] you have to be consistent in your intensity and that’s not easy. ” Villa on Saturday marks the end of a demanding as well as defining period in Liverpool’s season. The concern for Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta, beyond their own recent results, will be Slot and his players emerging even stronger.