Liverpool faced Real Madrid and Manchester City in a week and, at the end of it, it was reasonable to conclude they were the best team in the world at that point.
The statement requires the use of the past tense because it was a year ago, when Liverpool beat the reigning champions of Europe and England in a heady few days. No such claims could be made now. Not after victory over Aston Villa merely reduced their recent record to six defeats in eight.
It is a quirk of the fixture list that, in another autumn, Liverpool have the same doubleheader. Now, however, they are not top of either the Premier or the Champions League. Arne Slot identified other differences.
“It is not the same because last season we played them both at home and now one of them is away. It is not the same because last season we faced a Real Madrid who had many injuries and now they haven’t. It is not the same because last season we were a different team than now,” he said.
If the short response is that they were both a better one and a cheaper one, with the £450m refit yet to reap a footballing dividend, Real come into a reunion with 13 wins in 14 games.
A year ago, Liverpool boasted the same record. A year ago, Real’s absentees included Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Eder Militao, Aurelien Tchouameni, David Alaba and Dani Carvajal. Now Liverpool will be without Alexander Isak, Jeremie Frimpong and Alisson Becker.
And yet one of the credibility-defying elements of Real’s dismembering at Anfield was that it came partly at the hands of understudies. With Alisson sidelined, Caoimhin Kelleher saved a Kylian Mbappe penalty. A barnstorming, man-of-the-match performance came from Conor Bradley, symbolised by a thunderous challenge on Mbappe that has entered Anfield folklore.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was returning from a spell on the sidelines, was an unused substitute for Liverpool that night. He may assume a similar role for Real on Tuesday.
The right-back was booed in April by a section of the support when he announced he would leave. It will be instructive how he is received in Real white. “He gets a warm welcome from me, that’s for sure,” said Slot. “I have great memories of the player and the human being.”
For Slot, the key for Bradley, if he is to establish himself as Alexander-Arnold’s successor, can be summed up in two words – “stay fit” – but this will be an examination of his credentials. The Liverpool head coach launched into a eulogy about Vinicius. “He is lightning fast, one on one he is very special,” he said. Both Slot and Bradley’s predecessors could testify as much. The Brazilian used to be the scourge of Alexander-Arnold.
Another comparison could come in the technical areas. Slot’s path to the Liverpool job was smoothed when Xabi Alonso said he wanted to stay at Bayer Leverkusen for a further year. Perhaps Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League-winning midfielder sensed there would be a vacancy at the Bernabeu in 2025.
He nevertheless returned to Anfield in European competition last season. His Bayer Leverkusen side departed demolished 4-0. Their principal tormentor, however, was Luis Diaz and the scorer of a hat-trick was one of the summer departures from Anfield.
Then Liverpool boasted the 100 per cent start to the Champions League. Now Real do. “Xabi is doing an incredible job in Madrid but Carlo Ancelotti did the same,” added Slot.
Alonso’s capacity to bring the best from players is highlighted by one of Liverpool’s £100m men. Florian Wirtz was named the best player in the Bundesliga when Leverkusen became German champions in 2024.
He has begun four recent Premier League matches on the bench. He has neither scored nor made a goal in the English top flight, though he did get two Champions League assists in his homeland during the 5-1 thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt. His better displays have tended to come amid the different demands of continental competition.
“He’s been unlucky with the end product either by himself or his teammates,” said Slot. “For me, he’s already brought exactly what was expected. He creates a lot for the team and will have his goals.”
It will, though, be instructive if Wirtz is recalled against Real. They were among his suitors in the summer before Liverpool signed him. He may wonder how he would have fared under Alonso again.
It is notable, too, that Mohamed Salah began Liverpool’s last two Champions League games on the bench. The Egyptian is a veteran of this fixture but with decidedly mixed memories: famously injured by Sergio Ramos in the 2018 final, he also missed a penalty in Liverpool’s 2-0 win last year.
But he brought up 250 goals for the club on Saturday. Salah seems to have returned to form. The next few days will be an examination if Liverpool have, or if they enter the international break with eight defeats in 10.
“Every single time is always a test to see where we are,” said Slot. It was the case when Real last came to Anfield. But that match was a barometer of progress. Now it may a barometer of regression.