'Liverpool are the real deal' - why it will be hard to stop them now

The problem for all the teams chasing Liverpool is that I don't see the Premier League leaders as having any real weakness at the moment.

Arne Slot's side probably put Manchester City out of the title race by beating them at Anfield on Sunday, to leave them 11 points adrift.

So, if the defending champions are not going to catch Liverpool, then who else can challenge them?

Arsenal are in a good place at the moment, now they have got Martin Odegaard fit. Bukayo Saka looks unstoppable with him back in the team and the relationship between those two is very exciting.

Chelsea are looking strong too, helped by the fact Enzo Maresca is playing a different team in Europe and they are fresh for the weekends.

But Liverpool have got a massive lead on both of them already, and from watching them I am not sure where they are going to slip up.

The Reds have been almost flawless so far, in the Premier League and Champions League, and they are looking like the real deal in every department.

Like a lot of people, I wondered how Slot could follow Jurgen Klopp when he arrived in the summer but he has been immensely impressive so far, and it’s already clear his side are going to be very difficult to stop.

The Christmas period, when games come thick and fast, will be critical but on the evidence of the first four months of the season, they have the strength in depth in their squad to cope.

From an 'area of concern' to an 'amazing strength'

Even before this week, Liverpool had made an unbelievable start to the season but in the past few days they have played Real Madrid and Manchester City, who have dominated Europe for a long time now, and beaten them both convincingly.

Against City, they were much better in every position. Their midfield overpowered City's and the 2-0 scoreline did not do their performance justice.

They could and should have scored four or five goals in the first half alone and missed another clear chance after the break, when Mohamed Salah ran clear but fired over.

Liverpool were defensively solid and well organised too. They had injuries to contend with at the back - Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley were both absent after getting injured against Real, but it did not seem to matter.

It is the same right through the team. They have been without Alisson, who is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, since the end of October but no-one ever mentions he is missing, because of the form of Caoimhin Kelleher.

That depth of quality means Slot has options and the ability to rotate his players, particularly in midfield.

That position was seen as being an area of concern before the season started when they tried and failed to bring in Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, but it has turned out to be an amazing strength for them all season, whoever plays in there.

Curtis Jones has been in fantastic form recently but he started Sunday's game on the bench, with Dominik Szoboszlai coming in alongside Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister.

It did not make any difference. All four players have got fantastic energy that sets the tone for the way Slot wants to press, and I like the way the whole team goes about executing his plan.

Liverpool are mean at the back and a tight unit that defends together, but they still create lots of chances, and are strong from set-pieces too. In every aspect, they are what you would want your team to be.

'Don't drop Haaland, give him better service'

In contrast, from what I have seen from City in the past seven games, they are miles off it and a shadow of their usual selves.

There has been a lot of talk about how City’s defence has become so vulnerable, which it is - they were so open on the turnover at Anfield - but it is clear they are not the same force going forward either.

Liverpool battered them early on, but even when City had a spell of around 15 minutes in the second half where they had more of the ball, I never ever felt like they were going to score or get back into the game.

It must have been especially frustrating for Erling Haaland, who barely got a sniff in front of goal.

Haaland has now only scored twice in his past eight league games but we are still talking about this season's top scorer in the Premier League, and he also grabbed two goals against Feyenoord in midweek.

So, the answer to City's problems is definitely not to take him out of the team. Instead they need to find ways of giving him better service.

Phil Foden and Matheus Nunes could not get into the game against Liverpool and even when Savinho and Jeremy Doku came on and beat players, they were both so reluctant to put balls into the box and feed Haaland. I know how frustrated I would have been if it had been me waiting for a cross that never came.

Something else I noticed on Sunday was how, when City played out from the back, they only went over the top twice all game. Haaland kept coming short, towards the ball, instead.

That makes it a lot easier for defenders than when you turn them around and have them running back towards their own goal - like City’s back-line was forced to do in the first half when Liverpool were opening them up.

Sometimes even City need an out-ball like that, because if your striker comes short all the time then you invite pressure when you lose possession - which is the last thing they need with their issues at the back.

Alan Shearer was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.