One of Liverpool’s early standouts in the 2024–25 Premier League season will be their defense. Arne Slot’s possession-based strategy has received a lot of attention this season, but their defensive performance is almost as impressive. Liverpool has the greatest defensive record in the league, having given up just two goals in their last seven league games. That’s four less than Nottingham Forest and Arsenal, who have also played well defensively.

But when the rivalry intensifies, will this hold up? Andy Jones of The Athletic deserves recognition for his initial analysis of Liverpool’s outstanding defensive play, dissecting the statistics and individual contributions that contributed to their triumph.

Liverpool’s statistics clearly show their defensive metamorphosis. They have only given up four goals and preserved six clean sheets in their first ten games of the season, all across competitions. Compared to the previous season, when Liverpool finished with the same number of clean sheets in their final 27 games, this represents a significant improvement. Additionally, Slot’s team has only allowed 64 shots in the Premier League, trailing only Manchester City and Tottenham, the only two teams with lower totals.

The most telling statistic may be Liverpool’s anticipated goals against (xGA), which is the lowest in the division at 5.2 after seven games. This metric indicates that opponents are having a harder time creating good opportunities against them. Trent Alexander-Arnold said, “Defense wins championships,” after Liverpool easily defeated Bournemouth 3-0.

Liverpool’s defensive sturdiness is largely due to their consistent team selection. Virgil van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold have led and maintained consistency in each league and Champions League game from the beginning. Since coming off the bench on the first day of play, Ibrahima Konaté has also been vital, while Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas’ rotating connection has been successful. They work as a unified defensive unit.

Additionally profitable has been Slot’s focus on winning individual duels. Konaté and Van Dijk, with respective success rates of 86.2% and 73.2%, have both been outstanding in the air. Playing slightly ahead of the defense, Ryan Gravenberch has been just as important in midfield, leading the team in interceptions and ball recoveries while winning 64.1% of his duels.

However, Slot’s tactical adjustments are what really cause the change. With Robertson and Alexander-Arnold filling in as traditional full-backs and a deeper double pivot providing cover, Liverpool’s defense is now more compact. It’s reasonable to assume Liverpool will be strong contenders for hardware this season if they can keep up their defensive discipline and enhance their attacking fluency. Ultimately, defense wins championships, as Alexander-Arnold once stated, and Liverpool’s defense appears to be able to achieve just that