Slot's Anfield era begins with calm and control

Agood day inthe sunshine as Liverpool beat Sevilla 4-1, the new manager a stark contrast to his excitable predecessor

- Andy Hunter

Liverpool were back in their natural habitat, dominating winning play and convincingly, yet Anfield felt unusual. Maybe it was the sight of supporters applying sun cream while basking in temperatures more familiar to Sevilla than Merseyside, but more likely it was the calmness that radiated from the home technical area towards the team. The adaptation to the Arne Slot era is underway.

After almost nine years of manic energy and wild gesticulation on the Anfield sidelines there was calmness in the place where Jürgen Klopp once stood. His successor was a model of composure by comparison. Premier League match officials will be overjoyed at the news. Slot's most theatrical move was to remove hands from pockets to direct another tactical instruction. They are clearly filtering through.

The demeanour of Liverpool's new head coach was reflected in the approach of his team in the 4-1 defeat of Sevilla. It was only a friendly, watched by a crowd of more than 59,000, and against a team that endured a turbulent campaign with three coaches last season and are themselves starting anew under García Pimienta. But there were conclusions still to be drawn.