Liverpool have burst out of the traps in title race – can they keep it going?

While Football Daily only has two hands and needs both of them to type this drivel every day, we can’t help but feel the pair of them would have been snapped or bitten off if we’d offered Liverpool fans a five-point lead at the top after 11 games before a ball had been kicked in this season’s Premier League. While the denizens of Anfield had no particular reason to believe Arne Slot wouldn’t do a decent job as successor to Jürgen Klopp, the managerial shoes into which he was stepping were undeniably huge. And if they needed proof that follicly-challenged Dutchmen are capable of making a pig’s ear of managing an elite English club in their first big job outside of the Netherlands, well … let’s just say they didn’t have to travel too far to seek it out.

While Slot was the lucky beneficiary of solid foundations on which to build his dream team, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t begin constructing the kind of heinously over-budget eyesore that would make Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud a little sick in his mouth. But after a summer in which he spent a little over the bare minimum on materials, work is already well ahead of schedule. On Match of the Day 2, Mark Chapman noted that in the Premier League era only six teams have ever had a lead of five points or more after 11 games and pointed out that the other five have gone on to win the title. So while some might say that talk of this one already being Liverpool’s to lose might be wildly premature, there’s a fair bit of historic precedent to suggest that, actually, it is not.

“I haven’t thought about where we [would be] after 10 games, 15 games, 20 games,” soothed Slot after his side’s latest victory, a fairly stern test against Aston Villa under the Saturday night Anfield lights. “The only thing I did think about was: ‘How can we implement our playing style and how can we make sure the players work as hard as they do at the moment?’” While things could scarcely be going more swimmingly for a manager whose team barely featured in the pre-season conversation on the subject of potential title winners, those in charge of the two teams who completely dominated it find themselves in far more choppy waters as Slot’s dark horses threaten to canter away into the distance in this increasingly tortured analogy. Or is it a mixed metaphor?

Anyway, with their team already nine points adrift of Liverpool, Arsenal fans now have a lengthy interlude to decide whether or not the draw at Chelsea was a decent result, while their Manchester City counterparts are four points better off but have an unprecedented-under-Pep run of four consecutive defeats in three different competitions to contemplate over the next fortnight. Has Arsenal’s expected tilt ended before it even got started? Have the wheels come off Guardiola’s all-conquering juggernaut? The only obvious answer, with which pretty much every theoretical question can be answered, is: let’s wait and see.

The craziest game I have ever been involved in and I can’t imagine it ever being topped … there can’t have been a greater comeback in the history of football – four goals in the last five minutes to win the game” – Yarm manager Stephen Jackson calms down just enough to reflect on his side’s wild 6-5 win against Sunderland West End who, wait for it, were 5-2 up after 90 minutes.

Premier League referee David Coote has been suspended after video footage emerged apparently showing him calling Jürgen Klopp a “German [cee]” and Liverpool “[sh!t]”. According to the clip that surfaced on various social media disgraces on Monday, Coote claims that Klopp was “arrogant” and had accused him of lying after a match between Liverpool and Burnley in 2020. Coote took charge of the Reds’ 2-0 win against Villa on Saturday. Professional Game Match Officials Ltd said: “David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation. PGMOL will be making no further comment until that process is complete.”

Asked by a friend for his opinion of Klopp, the person alleged to be Coote says: “Aside from having a right pop at me when I reffed them against Burnley in lockdown, then he accused me of lying and then just had a right [effing] pop at me. I’ve got no interest at speaking to someone who’s [effing] arrogant. So I do my best not to speak to him … My God, German [cee], [eff] me.” The derogatory remark about Liverpool refers to the team’s performance in a game at which Coote was the fourth official. The friend, who appears to be recording the conversation on his phone in a sitting room, goes on to clarify what he feels to be the takeaway from the conversation: “Long story short: Jürgen Klopp’s a [cee], Liverpool are all [effing b€llends] and we hate Scousers.”

I see Gianni Infantino is enlivening the Club World Cup 2025™ by bringing in a team who absolutely suck at getting through playoffs. Does that mean we’re going to send Sheffield United?” – Jon Millard.

I see Mark Robins’s treatment (Friday’s Football Daily) as nothing more than footballing karma. After all, he singlehandedly inflicted on fans the Alex Ferguson era, which few in this country enjoyed. These things always come back to bite you!” – Charles Ashmore.

Re: Noah and ark puns. I think our dear friend Noble Francis (Friday’s Football Daily letters) needs to be patient. It started to rain on the 17th day of the second month of Noah’s 600th year. He didn’t walk on dry land again until the 27th day of the second month of his 101st year, some 375 days later. Assuming Big Website reporters respond with similar speed, I suggest he look carefully at reports on 17 November 2025 for a water/ark-related headlines” – Andrew Kluth.

Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s letter o’ the day winner is … Jon Millard, who lands their very own piece of Football Weekly merch. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here.

Looking for a present or just something to read? Then check out the Big Website bookshop, where you can now order the latest David Squires, new releases from Nick Miller, Miguel Delaney and Andy Mitten, or My Beautiful Sisters, by Khalida Popal.

Is Fifa head-honcho Gianni Infantino a soothsayer who can see into the future? Of course not, but he’ll probably claim he is after Inter Miami’s shock 3-2 MLS playoff defeat by Atlanta United meant the Argentinian money-spinner’s season ended far earlier than anyone in the USA USA USA expected. Which is why Infantino’s decision to grant Miami a spot in the Club World Cup for the spurious reason of winning the “Supporters’ Shield” (something he may just have made up on the spot) now looks prescient. It means L’il Lionel will get the chance to punctuate his shrugs with a few whizzy little dribbles at the 348-team event in Trump’s America next summer despite his team being far from the best in their confederation. We. Can’t. Wait.

Turkish courts have sentenced former MKE Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca to more than three-and-a-half years in prison for attacking a referee at the end of a top-flight ame last season.

In a boost to expensive north London dentists, a disappointed Mikel Arteta has told his players to “show their teeth” after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea. “When it gets dark and difficult and everybody’s questioning it, that’s when I want to see people”, roared the Spaniard.

England will have to make use of the 17 other excellent right-backs at their disposal after Trent Alexander-Arnold hobbled out of the international reckoning for England with hamstring-twang.

European roundup: Roma have marched manager Ivan Juric through the door marked Do One after their 3-2 home defeat by Bologna, while Barcelona have lost just their second league match of the season, to Real Sociedad.

And in good news for slick Ineos marginal gainers: Rúben Amorim is yet to be granted a visa despite starting his first official day as Manchester United head coach.

Count ‘em and weep: why do your actual job when you can read a dozen Women’s Super League talking points and 10 Premier League t1tbits instead?

Barney Ronay on Martin Ødegaard, Arsenal and clarity in the chaos.

Tom Dart asks: what kind of host will Donald Trump be for the World Cup and Olympics?

Who knew? Chelsea are playing the long game. David Hytner has more.

Andy Brassell on St Pauli, featuring a picture of a corridor inside the German club’s stadium that is so intimidating it makes Red Star Belgrade’s tunnel look like a yoga retreat.

Auxerre are taking a leaf out of Big Sam’s Bolton playbook, writes Luke Entwistle.

And Hakan Calhanoglu never fails from the penalty spot. But then, he did. Nicky Bandini’s head is scrambled after watching Inter 1-1 Napoli.

Winter is coming, at least in our neck of the woods, so here’s Geoff Hurst of West Ham using a bouncy hopper on a snowy pitch in January 1968.