A key metric with Emery is “duels” and no Villa player came out on top of their match-up. Club B ruges made three times as many interceptions and twice the number of clearances. Villa made four tackles in the attacking half, none in the attacking third, and their hosts, typically direct in style, grew in confidence when playing from deep.

After a lengthy injury absence that kept Tyrone Mings out of action for 14 months, he would have relished the opportunity to start the Champions League match against Club Bruges. Mings, capped 18 times by England,

"I'm not trying to manage expectations with the squad because we don't talk about expectations," said Slot. "The only expectations I have is that they put the same effort in on a daily basis like they've done for the last few months, and probably for the past six or seven years. That's the only thing we focus on."

Liverpool welcome Aston Villa in this weekend's Premier League clash, following an emphatic win midweek against former Red, Xabi Alonso, and Bayer Leverkusen. W

High-Stakes Premier League Clash Set for Saturday NightLiverpool’s Premier League journey under Arne Slot takes on another chapter this Saturday as the Reds face Aston