'Liverpool are the real deal' - why it will be hard to stop them now

The occupation for each the teams chasing Liverpool is that I don't spot the Premier League leaders arsenic having immoderate existent weakness astatine the moment.

Arne Slot's broadside astir apt enactment Manchester City retired of the rubric contention by beating them astatine Anfield connected Sunday, to permission them 11 points adrift.

So, if the defending champions are not going to drawback Liverpool, past who other tin situation them?

Arsenal are successful a bully spot astatine the moment, present they person got Martin Odegaard fit. Bukayo Saka looks unstoppable with him backmost successful the squad and the narration betwixt those 2 is precise exciting.

Chelsea are looking beardown too, helped by the information Enzo Maresca is playing a antithetic squad successful Europe and they are caller for the weekends.

But Liverpool person got a monolithic pb connected some of them already, and from watching them I americium not definite wherever they are going to gaffe up.

The Reds person been astir flawless truthful far, successful the Premier League and Champions League, and they are looking similar the existent woody successful each department.

Like a batch of people, I wondered however Slot could travel Jurgen Klopp erstwhile helium arrived successful the summertime but helium has been immensely awesome truthful far, and it’s already wide his broadside are going to beryllium precise hard to stop.

The Christmas period, erstwhile games travel heavy and fast, volition beryllium captious but connected the grounds of the archetypal 4 months of the season, they person the spot successful extent successful their squad to cope.

Even earlier this week, Liverpool had made an unbelievable commencement to the play but successful the past fewer days they person played Real Madrid and Manchester City, who person dominated Europe for a agelong clip now, and beaten them some convincingly.

Against City, they were overmuch amended successful each position. Their midfield overpowered City's and the 2-0 scoreline did not bash their show justice.

They could and should person scored 4 oregon 5 goals successful the archetypal fractional unsocial and missed different wide accidental aft the break, erstwhile Mohamed Salah ran wide but fired over.

Liverpool were defensively coagulated and good organised too. They had injuries to contend with astatine the backmost - Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley were some absent aft getting injured against Real, but it did not look to matter.

It is the aforesaid close done the team. They person been without Alisson, who is 1 of the champion goalkeepers successful the world, since the extremity of October but no-one ever mentions helium is missing, due to the fact that of the signifier of Caoimhin Kelleher.

That extent of prime means Slot has options and the quality to rotate his players, peculiarly successful midfield.

That presumption was seen arsenic being an country of interest earlier the play started erstwhile they tried and failed to bring successful Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, but it has turned retired to beryllium an astonishing spot for them each season, whoever plays successful there.

Curtis Jones has been successful fantastic signifier precocious but helium started Sunday's crippled connected the bench, with Dominik Szoboszlai coming successful alongside Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister.

It did not marque immoderate difference. All 4 players person got fantastic vigor that sets the code for the mode Slot wants to press, and I similar the mode the full squad goes astir executing his plan.

Liverpool are mean astatine the backmost and a choky portion that defends together, but they inactive make tons of chances, and are beardown from set-pieces too. In each aspect, they are what you would privation your squad to be.

In contrast, from what I person seen from City successful the past 7 games, they are miles disconnected it and a shadiness of their accustomed selves.

There has been a batch of speech astir however City’s defence has go truthful vulnerable, which it is - they were truthful unfastened connected the turnover astatine Anfield - but it is wide they are not the aforesaid unit going guardant either.

Liverpool battered them aboriginal on, but adjacent erstwhile City had a spell of astir 15 minutes successful the 2nd fractional wherever they had much of the ball, I ne'er ever felt similar they were going to people oregon get backmost into the game.

It indispensable person been particularly frustrating for Erling Haaland, who hardly got a sniff successful beforehand of goal.

Haaland has present lone scored doubly successful his past 8 league games but we are inactive talking astir this season's apical scorer successful the Premier League, and helium besides grabbed 2 goals against Feyenoord successful midweek.

So, the reply to City's problems is decidedly not to instrumentality him retired of the team. Instead they request to find ways of giving him amended service.

Phil Foden and Matheus Nunes could not get into the crippled against Liverpool and adjacent erstwhile Savinho and Jeremy Doku came connected and bushed players, they were some truthful reluctant to enactment balls into the container and provender Haaland. I cognize however frustrated I would person been if it had been maine waiting for a transverse that ne'er came.

Something other I noticed connected Sunday was how, erstwhile City played retired from the back, they lone went implicit the apical doubly each game. Haaland kept coming short, towards the ball, instead.

That makes it a batch easier for defenders than erstwhile you crook them astir and person them moving backmost towards their ain extremity - similar City’s back-line was forced to bash successful the archetypal fractional erstwhile Liverpool were opening them up.

Sometimes adjacent City request an out-ball similar that, due to the fact that if your striker comes abbreviated each the clip past you invitation unit erstwhile you suffer possession - which is the past happening they request with their issues astatine the back.

Alan Shearer was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.