Burnley 0-1 Liverpool: Are Arne Slot's side playing like Premier League champions or are they papering over the cracks?

Four games in, and a new-look Liverpool team's early performances can be interpreted in many different ways. Some say their late heroics are the sign of champions. Others would claim they are papering over the cracks of unconvincing displays.

It is the same with their transfer window just gone. Adding the likes of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz looks attractive on paper. But does revolutionising the full-back, left wing and striker positions represent a huge rebuild as well?

So far this season, Liverpool have either looked unconvincing in attack or have been shipping goals at the back. But the late victory at Burnley means they have still won every Premier League game, after losing the Community Shield to Crystal Palace on penalties.

It's a frightening prospect - Liverpool are still winning despite Arne Slot saying they will get better from here. But there are no guarantees of that.

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First of all, Liverpool's fixture list is getting more condensed and no less difficult. They've already picked up wins over Newcastle and Arsenal but they face Atletico Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester City before the November international break.

That run also includes trips to Brentford and Crystal Palace, plus there is next weekend's Merseyside derby against Everton.

And while Alexander Isak will ultimately bring a huge amount of quality to this team, he is starting the season four weeks behind schedule fitness-wise. It may take some time to see the full value of the £125m striker.

The next eight weeks will ultimately be crucial for Liverpool's season.

Is there concern for Salah, Wirtz despite heroics?

The familiar sight of Mohamed Salah, arms aloft after scoring, was on display at Turf Moor - but that only told one side of the story.

The Egyptian got his second goal of the season, but just like his first against Bournemouth on the opening night of the campaign, it came at the end of what was, overall, an underwhelming performance.

Before his 95th-minute intervention, Salah was one of only two Liverpool players to play more than an hour and not have a shot. Even Jeremie Frimpong and Federico Chiesa managed one each - and they were late substitutes.

Salah also lost five out of his six individual duels and was dispossessed more than any other player on the pitch, and when he did get the rare chance to cause some damage in the second half, he blasted a cross straight out for a goal-kick.

"He's been really poor again," said Jamie Carragher on co-commentary duty.

"He just hasn't really hit those heights of last season so far this season. It was always going to be difficult. But he doesn't look at the races right now."

There is similar concern over Florian Wirtz, who is still without a goal or an assist in the Premier League since his £116m move from Bayer Leverkusen. He has been taken off in all four matches - and in two of those, against Bournemouth and Burnley, his team was looking for a lead.

The German had the lowest passing accuracy of any Liverpool player at Turf Moor and lost 70 per cent of his duels. And while he created four chances, they amounted to just 0.24 xG, so they weren't massively clear-cut.

Slot: We will get better

For Slot, however, the winning run continues. And the Liverpool head coach believes his team will only grow from here.

"It's normal for a lot of new players," he told Sky Sports. "We will get better, better and better and we still have 12 points."

And Roy Keane felt there was an inevitability about Liverpool's outcome at Burnley.

"They keep going," Keane said. "They've got quality players and they have desire to win football matches. They've got good options off the bench as we've found out in a few of their games.

"Burnley showed a lot of grit but Liverpool deserved to win the game by the way they dominated.

"Liverpool lacked quality, their final pass was so off today - but we were sitting there thinking they would get one more chance.

"They stuck at it, you have to keep going until the end. That's what the top teams do."

(c) Sky Sports 2025: Burnley 0-1 Liverpool: Are Arne Slot's side playing like Premier League champions or are they papering over the cracks?