Arne Slot was asked heading into the weekend's game against Southampton if his side had been "lucky" with injuries this season. Perhaps a little, he explained, but it is also about strategy, medical expertise, and rotation.
So far since he arrived at Liverpool, the Dutchman has barely put a foot wrong. He made changes yesterday with the two legs against PSG in mind and admitted that he probably should have swapped out Dominik Szoboszlai, who has done more running than anyone across the last month or so (and the season as a whole, in all likelihood).
It didn't quite work as intended, with Liverpool lacking intensity. And when Luis Diaz sliced a shot horribly wide near the end of the first 45 minutes, Slot's reaction — watching on from above thanks to his touchline ban — said it all.
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His face looked exasperated and his arms flung up in the air. When it was clear that things weren't going well, though, Slot knew exactly what to do. He took decisive action and the start of the second half saw a new Liverpool emerge.
Slot did two things at half-time: firstly, he didn't hold back with his team talk. "I didn't give them compliments at half-time, I can tell you that," he said during his post-match press conference. "I don't think I was wrong this time if I said at half-time that energy levels were far, far, far too low. That is what had to change."
Then — emboldened by having an extra substitution to use because of Jan Bednarek's injury and the concussion protocols — he made a triple change. As well as Szoboszlai, Kostas Tsimikas and Curtis Jones were also brought off. Harvey Elliott, Alexis Mac Allister, and Andy Robertson entered the field, and everything changed almost instantly.
Slot wasn't messing about, going early with the swaps. Proving his credentials as one of the best around when it comes to spotting what needs improving — not taking off Diaz, for instance, who had a terrible first half but was brilliant in the second — he not only changed the game but also sent a big message to his players about the standards that he drives ahead of a big week.
It shouldn’t be a surprise — Slot did the same on the opening day with Jarell Quansah — but it does point to a bold coach who isn't afraid to make the big calls. One of the players who he brought on, Elliott, made an instant impact.
"In my eyes, it's just my job to come on and influence the game where I can," Elliott told BBC Radio 5 Live post-game. "The last two games have been very tough — it is not about me, it's about the whole team.
"It was an intense game. Especially with the travel, we only had one day to prepare for this game, and hats off to Southampton — they made it tough throughout the whole game.
"We need to keep winning games — it's as simple as that. It's about taking it game-by-game and making sure we apply ourselves in the best possible way."
The Anfield crowd was asked to bring the noise and it did at times. There were no murmurs of true frustration even when Will Smallbone opened the scoring after a defensive mix-up, and Liverpool went in at the interval one goal down.
With an injection of quality and fresh legs, Slot turned the tide. Darwin Nunez scored and then won a penalty, and Mohamed Salah made no mistake twice. Everything Slot has done so far at Liverpool has been deliberate, and either right first time or swiftly corrected. This was no different.
