Six games in, and my head is already spinning. We’re sitting top of the league, but if you listened to the noise, you’d think we were scrapping for a Europa League spot. Why? Because the football, the feeling, isn’t quite the runaway train it was for long stretches last season. And now, as we head to Stamford Bridge this Saturday to face Chelsea, our new boss, Arne Slot, has crystallized the issue perfectly: the crown is a curse.
Slot’s recent comments about opponents setting up differently against us, the defending Premier League champions, weren’t an excuse, they were a tactical statement of fact.
“Teams played in a completely different way in the first half of the season against us [last year] than they did when we were top of the league… I can see this now going into this part of this season, and we have to find answers to that.”
Last season, we benefited from the ‘new manager bounce’ effect, inheriting a team hungry to prove itself. Teams came out, tried to attack us, and got ripped apart on the counter. This season? Every single opponent, having watched us lift the trophy in May, is dropping deep, forming low blocks, and daring us to break them down. We have the highest possession percentage in the league, but all that sterile dominance means nothing if we can’t find the key to unlock the door.
The biggest tactical casualty? Our set-pieces. Slot himself pointed out that set-pieces were our answer to low blocks last season. This campaign, that weapon is misfiring. With two recent losses, one in Europe and a frustrating league defeat to Crystal Palace, the pressure is on Slot to show he can adapt to being the hunted, not the hunter.
The trip to West London this weekend is rarely straightforward, and the history books from last season only add spice.
Our last league encounter was at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, May 4, 2025. While we arrived as champions, a rotated side struggled, and Chelsea delivered a punchy performance to secure a decisive 3-1 victory. That result was a reminder that even when the pressure is off, Chelsea will always raise their game against us.
This time, the circumstances are different, but the opposition threat is starkly clear: Chelsea have scored over 50% of their goals this season from set-pieces. If we are struggling to score from them, and they are masters at converting them, this is a glaring vulnerability that Enzo Maresca’s side will be licking their lips over.
The View from the Top: A Tight Race for Supremacy While we might be struggling for form, the league table still paints a relatively rosy picture for us, though our rivals are breathing down our neck.
Pos Team Pl W D L GD Pts 1 Liverpool 6 5 0 1 +5 15 2 Arsenal 6 4 1 1 +9 13 7 Man City 6 3 1 2 +8 10 8 Chelsea 6 2 2 2 +3 8 We are currently holding onto the top spot by a two-point margin over Arsenal, who are flying. But the most alarming sight for the chasing pack is Manchester City down in 7th. Every point dropped now matters immensely. Chelsea, sitting 8th, are desperate to climb the table and a win against the leaders would be monumental for their season.
The Chelsea match this Saturday, October 4, 2025, is the immediate focus, and it is a must-win to maintain momentum. But the schedule doesn’t ease up. Immediately after the international break, we face one of the biggest tests of the season: a massive clash against Manchester United at Anfield on Saturday, October 19.
This stretch - Chelsea away, then United at home - will define the early success of Arne Slot’s era. The champions must find a way to navigate the tactical traps being set for them, or they risk being hauled back down into the chasing pack before Christmas. The time for tactical philosophy is over; the time for grinding out results begins now.