Michael Owen believes Liverpool can challenge Arsenal and Manchester City for the Premier League title but sent out a warning for Darwin Nunez.
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Liverpool off to a fiery start under SlotTied at the top of the standings with CityOwen feels the Reds can go all the wayWHAT HAPPENED?
Liverpool showcased their title credentials with a dominant 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. Arne Slot’s side delivered a comprehensive performance, with Luis Diaz netting twice in the first half, capitalising on two errors from United midfielder Casemiro with Mohamed Salah adding a third. The win marked Liverpool’s third consecutive league victory of the season, maintaining their perfect start under Slot’s leadership. Along with Manchester City, they are the only team to have won their first three games of the Premier League campaign.
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While Liverpool surged forward with another victory, Arsenal experienced their first stumble of the season after the Gunners were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton at the Emirates Stadium. Although it is early days in the season, it seems that the Merseyside outfit has quickly adapted to the ways of Slot and could mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title at the business end of the season.
WHAT OWEN SAID
Reflecting on Liverpool’s start to the season, Owen in an interview with said: "Liverpool can absolutely challenge Arsenal and Manchester City this season but we can’t get carried away just yet. I think the greatest compliment comes when you look at Sir Alex Ferguson finishing at Manchester United after all those years, or Arsene Wenger at Arsenal after all those years, you think to yourself, how are those clubs going to continue with someone totally different?
"History would say that Liverpool could’ve really struggled and although it’s only early days, Arne Slot has come in and been quietly going about his business, doing the right things and has Liverpool playing really well. There's no huge changes at all really to the team, no big players that have left and there's nobody huge that's come in. So it's almost felt like a bit of a seamless transition so far. Of course, there will be bigger tests ahead, but I think Liverpool fans will be absolutely delighted that there have been no major problems or anything else like that. It's almost business as usual, which is probably the biggest compliment you could give to the new manager."
DID YOU KNOW?
While Liverpool’s overall performance has been encouraging, Nunez faces a challenging situation under Arne Slot as the Uruguayan forward has found himself on the bench in recent games, sparking concerns about his role in the team. He has got just 32 minutes cumulatively in the first three matches and Owen acknowledged that Nunez might be feeling anxious about his lack of playing time.
"With Slot coming in, he has to choose three players out of five for the attacking positions, so whoever doesn’t start is going to feel downhearted," he said.
"You could say that Darwin Nunez isn’t in his starting XI plans but anything can happen with injuries and suspensions during the season. All of a sudden he can't be left out and he goes on a run of starting 10 games on the spin. You do need a lot of players and Liverpool will be keen not to have any discontent in the ranks, of course, because it's been a good start to the season.
"People can jump to quick conclusions when new managers come in and all of a sudden think that you won’t ever be playing games, and I suppose Nunez is of an age where he won't be wanting to spend loads of time on the bench as well. So I think it's one to watch really. But it's not like Jurgen Klopp played him every week. He was on the bench a little bit as well prior to this. So I'm sure he's feeling a little bit anxious, but I don’t think he needs to just yet. He needs to see how the first few months play out."
