【Perez公器私用練英文057】斯氏紅軍真能做到嗎：爭冠有料還是虛有其表？

 【Perez公器私用練英文057】斯氏紅軍真能做到嗎：爭冠有料還是虛有其表？
Contenders or pretenders: do Liverpool and Slot have what it takes?

隨著大比賽陸續浮現，我們能看到利物浦能拿出真正決定性的表現嗎？(衛報設計部製圖)
With big games on the horizon, will we find out if Liverpool are the real deal? Illustration: Guardian Design

原文網址：https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/oct/19/chelsea-liverpool-anfield-curious-arne-slot

時間：2024/10/19

記者：Andy Hunter

After a favourable start, Klopp’s successor faces first proper test with seven tough games coming over the next 21 days

在一場投利物浦所好的開局後，克洛普的繼任者要面對第一場重要考試：接下來21天的七場艱難比賽。

It cannot be media hype to herald Chelsea’s visit to Anfield on Sunday as the start of a defining period for Arne Slot’s Liverpool when Slot himself has been saying pretty much the same for more than a month. Are the early Premier League leaders the real deal? Their head coach remains unsure, although he’s certain he is about to find out.

切爾西週日造訪安菲爾德，不用媒體炒作，也能想像將會是認真定義阿內斯洛特轄下的利物浦的開始，斯洛特自己也在更早於一個月前就說過差不多的話。這一季英超的早期領跑者真的能搞定冠軍嗎？他們的首席教練還不能確定，雖然想必他正在找出如何做到的方法。

The international break gave Slot opportunity for a mental break, as he put it, taking several days off to reflect on an almost perfect beginning to life at Liverpool and to recharge ahead of a schedule that will be both demanding and revealing. Seven games in 21 days – Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton and Aston Villa in the Premier League, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, plus a trip to the Amex Stadium in the Carabao Cup – promise to give a measure of a team that has embraced its transition thus far.

國際比賽週給斯洛特腦袋冷卻的機會，讓他可以藉由這段期間，休息幾天去反思他近乎完美的利物浦人生開局，並且重整思緒面對那要求嚴格而燒腦的賽程。21天的七場比賽──英超要打切爾西、阿森納、布萊頓(主場)、阿斯頓維拉，還有一場聯賽盃征戰美國運通球場(客戰布萊頓) ──像是允諾了要衡量這支隊伍值不值得現在為止的排名。

Throughout the best start to any Liverpool manager’s reign in terms of results – nine wins out of 10 matches in all competitions – Slot has diluted praise with perspective. It was the 46-year-old who first raised the subject of Liverpool enjoying a relatively kind fixture list in comparison to their Premier League rivals. The message has stayed on repeat. It could be a psychological tactic from an obsessive tactician, designed to push his new charges towards constant improvement and away from complacency, but it is undoubtedly true.

雖然現在確實是利物浦歷任總帥以來的最佳開局──全線競賽的十場比賽贏下九場──斯洛特自己則發言淡化了他的功勞。這位46歲的教練，首先主張利物浦相比其他英超對手，享受了較為優待的賽程。這個看法不只一次的被提及，它可能是一場癡迷於戰術者，設計來推動他的新組員有著持續的進步並遠離自滿的心理戰術，但這(賽程蒙利)也是無可懷疑的事實。

Liverpool did have an easier opening to Slot’s debut season than Manchester City, Arsenal or any other contender in terms of average opponent rating. Their six league wins have come against the teams currently sitting 20th, 18th, 17th, 14th, 13th and 11th. Only once have Liverpool faced a team currently in the top half, 10th-placed Nottingham Forest, and that brought the only defeat of Slot’s tenure.

斯洛特的執教首賽季，利物浦確實有著相較曼城、阿森納或其他差不多水準的競爭者更輕鬆的賽程。他們聯賽獲得的六場勝利，是對抗目前穩坐在第20、18、17、14、13和11名(Perez譯註：曼聯：是在臭？)的球隊。利物浦目前為止唯一遇到在排名表上半部的對手，是第十名的諾丁漢森林，而那場比賽帶了斯氏紅軍教職的唯一一場敗績。

But the fixture list – though not the fixture list alone – has enabled Liverpool to build momentum and foundations as the team develops under a new head coach, allaying fears of a post-Jürgen Klopp stumble along the way. Control has been the hallmark of performances.

但賽程表──雖然不單單是賽程表影響──已經能讓利物浦帶來新首席教練麾下持續發展的勢頭與基礎了，並揮別一路以來對於後克洛普時代搖搖欲墜的畏懼。

It is a Slot mantra and an aspect of the game where the Dutch coach does deviate from his predecessor. Liverpool stay in shape more and leave less space for opponents to hurt them on the counterattack, Callum Hudson-Odoi’s winner for Forest notwithstanding.

這是斯洛特的習慣，也是荷蘭教練跟他球隊的前代領袖打比賽不一樣的面向之一。雖然庫倫哈德森歐多伊為諾丁漢森林的致勝球不這麼顯示，但利物浦現在更講求維持陣型，並且給對手留下較少的空間，用以在反擊上面給他們迎頭痛擊。

斯氏紅軍要面對這一季第一組爭四對手切爾西。攝影師：Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC/Getty Images
Arne Slot’s Liverpool face their first top-four opponent this season in Chelsea. Photograph: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC/Getty Images

The style may be less thrilling than it was under Klopp but greater control has contributed to Liverpool boasting the best defensive record in the Premier League, with only two goals conceded and expected goals against down to 0.74 per game from 1.22 last season. Liverpool are also more clinical this season, their shot and big-chance conversion rates both up.

這樣的風格可能比克洛普時期帶來較少的威脅性，但它貢獻給利物浦的是更強的控制力，讓防守激增到英超歷史最佳紀錄，僅僅被攻入了兩顆球，並且預期對手進球從上季的1.22顆減少到0.74顆球。利物浦這一季更能隨機應變了，他們的射門跟重要機會轉換率雙雙獲得提升。

Slot believes the sample size is currently too small to pass judgment on his impact, or on the team’s potential. The Liverpool manager also has the first serious disruption to his defence to contend with on Sunday with Alisson sidelined by injury. The Brazil international will miss all of the next seven matches, and possibly more, as he recovers from a serious hamstring problem. Caoimhín Kelleher will deputise against Chelsea in what will be his 50th appearance for the club.

斯洛特相信目前樣本數還太少，還無法度量他帶來的影響，或是全隊能發揮的潛力。利物浦教頭也在阿里森因傷缺陣後，週日的比賽對於他的防守端會帶來嚴重干擾。這位巴西的國際級球員會錯過接下來七場比賽，甚至可能更多，直到他從嚴重的腿筋傷患問題中解脫。奎明罕凱勒爾對切爾西的首發，將是他第五十次為球隊出陣。

Slot was asked on Friday if he already knows what this team is capable of, or if he would have the answer only after the next seven games? “The last point of the question,” Slot replied. “It’s not so much about the fixture list because I think Wolves away might be just as hard as Chelsea at home. But what will tell me most and what will be more interesting for me will be to see what is going to happen with this schedule.

關於斯洛特周五被問及，他是否已經清楚這支球隊適合什麼，還是要等到這七場比賽打完後才有答案，他做此回應：「這問題最後我要提及，我想關於對手是誰不是這麼重要，因為我認為打狼隊的客場就跟主場迎戰切爾西一樣艱難，但會給我更多主意、並且會讓我覺得感到有趣的是，面對賽程的過程接下來場上會發生什麼。」

“Two seasons ago this club played in the Champions League and you know what the end result was on the Premier League table [fifth and 22 points off the top]. I say this because then, on the Champions League nights, the Virgils and the Trents [Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold] and all of them played.

「兩季之前這支球隊還在歐冠賽場，並且你知道英超榜上的結果如何(第五名，距離榜首差22分)。我會提到這件事情是因為，歐冠之夜，范戴克、阿諾德與所有球員都有上場比賽。」

“Last season was better in the Premier League table [third and nine points off the top] but in the Europa League, Trent and Virgil didn’t play, so it was one game a week for them and playing one game a week is a big advantage compared to two games a week.

「上一季在英超排行榜表現比較好(第三名，距離榜首相差九分)但是在歐霸賽場上，范戴克、阿諾德不會上場比賽，所以對他們來說一週只有一賽，並且一週一賽比起一週雙賽會是個巨大的優勢。」

“So I am more curious to see how we handle the difficult Champions League games and then be ready for the weekend. I am so curious to see how we play against the better teams in the Premier League, but I think the main difference between Holland and England is that if PSV play the 18th team there is a big gap, but in England the gap between the No 1 team and the 18th is smaller.”

「所以我對於我們如何搞定歐冠比賽並且隨即準備好迎戰週末的聯賽更感興趣。我很好奇我們要怎麼對陣英超聯賽中較強的對手，但我想在英格蘭跟荷蘭比賽，最大的不同在於如果PSV根荷甲第十八名比賽，實力上會有一條大鴻溝，但在英格蘭，冠軍跟吊車尾的差距就比較小了。」

奎明罕凱萊爾會在接下來幾週代替受傷的阿里森先發。攝影師：Ian Stephen/ProSports/Shutterstock
Caoimhín Kelleher will deputise for the injured Alisson over the next few weeks. Photograph: Ian Stephen/ProSports/Shutterstock

It is the fourth-placed team that Liverpool face at Anfield at the weekend; a young and inconsistent Chelsea team, perhaps, but one with a 100% away record and the second-highest goals tally in the Premier League this season. Only Liverpool can match the away form of Enzo Maresca’s side.

利物浦在安菲爾德這周末要面對的對手是第四名的隊伍：一支年輕而未定型的切爾西，雖說如此，但卻是本季英超100%客戰勝率與進球數第二高的球隊。只有利物浦能在客戰勝率一環跟恩佐馬雷茲卡的球隊(切爾西)較勁。

Chelsea present “a big threat to the top three or four positions this season,” according to Slot. “I would maybe see them even higher.” In which case, if it is possible at this stage to make predictions about a team under new management, where does Slot see Liverpool?

切爾西是「對於這季前三、四名球隊很大的威脅」，斯洛特這麼說：「我甚至也可能會把他們看得更高。」不論如何發展，如果現階段能對一支新管理層的隊伍做出預測，斯洛特會把利物浦看在哪個位置呢？

“That’s an interesting one,” he said. “This club has always played for the top positions in the league, and this is where we are now. The margins are so small, especially between one, two and three.

「這是有趣的一個(問題)，」他說：』這支球隊經常在聯賽的頂尖幾個位置，而這也是我們現在所在的位置。落點差距會很小，大概在一、二或三名之間吧。」

“Last season there was quite a big gap to four, five and six but I’m expecting them to be closer now with Chelsea being one of them. Maybe Chelsea will be No 1, I don’t know, but there is more competition this season for the top four positions. I expect the teams that finish one to four will need more points than last season.”

「上一季我們跟第四、五、六名有著蠻大的差距(Perez譯註：上一季利物浦英超第三名82分，依序阿斯頓維拉、熱刺、切爾西各為68、66、63分)，但我在切爾西成為這一季其中之一的四到六名後可以縮小這個差距。說不定切爾西會變第一名，我不知道啦，但這一季的爭四大戰是更有競爭的。我期待這一季搶到前四的隊伍們，會比起上一季需要更多積分。」