“So it’s a completely different situation playing the Champions League during the week against a very tough, tough opponent, then playing Arsenal, then playing Aston Villa, then playing against all these big teams that we’re going to For us, there is still a lot to prove, especially if we look at the season from two years ago.

Of course, the memory of Liverpool’s last Champions League campaign remains strong in the memory, beaten 4-1 at Napoli in their first group match, then embarrassed 5-2 at home by Real Madrid in the first round direct elimination.

And last season’s Europa League The series – where Liverpool often fielded much-changed teams – ended in the quarter-final when Atalanta, arguably the first difficult opponent the Reds faced, won 3-0 at Anfield before going on to win the competition .

It’s no wonder, then, that Slot is urging caution before he can make any solid predictions about his team’s ability to face so many high-profile games in quick succession, especially since he’d rather not turn too much.

So far, however, the evidence is extremely encouraging. Having won all four matches in the new Champions League first leg – only once before, in 2021/22, have they got off to such a good start – Liverpool then overcame tricky domestic obstacles.

Four days after beating AC Milan, Bournemouth – eventual winners against Arsenal and Manchester City – lost 3-0 at Anfield. Less than 72 hours after the home win over Bologna, Liverpool secured a 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace. And in the next match after the victory at RB Leipzig, Slot’s team salvaged a 2-2 draw against title contenders Arsenal.

The final test will be on Saturday evening when, following Tuesday’s 4-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen, another top-four rival Aston Villa travel to Anfield. Even more difficult will be the home match against Manchester City which follows the visit of Real Madrid later this month, while in December, after the trip to Girona, there will be a home match against Fulham.

If Slot stays consistent with his team selection, there will be at least three changes against Villa, with Liverpool having made three, four then three changes to the Premier League starting line-up which directly followed a Champions League match this season.

The Reds’ strong start to the championship means they are in a good position to qualify among the top eight for the knockout stages with games remaining, which would give them the opportunity to rest their players in the final two games of January at home against Lille and away. at PSV Eindhoven, followed respectively by a home match against Ipswich Town and a trip to Bournemouth.

For now, however, there is no doubt that Slot’s players have risen to the Champions League challenge set by their head coach.