Arne Slot has introduced Liverpool change to match Sir Alex Ferguson's famous advice

After last month, was quick to congratulate him. The Frenchman, who had also scored against AC Milan earlier that night, celebrated with his captain, giving the Reds' No. 4 a hearty chest bump.

Ten games into the new season, it's their defensive efforts that are earning them plaudits, as currently has the stingiest defence in Europe's top five leagues.

They've only let in four goals in all competitions, one of which was during a in the Carabao Cup, a game neither Van Dijk nor Konate played in. In Premier League matches alone, Liverpool have conceded just twice.

Only Juventus, which has conceded just once in seven Serie A matches this season, has a better domestic record. This is a significant improvement from last season when Liverpool was often too easy to score against, a habit that cost them dearly in the Premier League title race, with Manchester City and Arsenal conceding seven and 12 fewer goals respectively than Jurgen Klopp's team.

Last season, Liverpool had a concerning tendency to concede the first goal in games, doing so 23 times - a staggering 39.6 percent of their matches. Despite this, the Reds' remarkable ability to recover and salvage crucial points kept them in contention for all four trophies until mid-March, reports .

However, this was not a sustainable strategy for winning major titles, and improving the defense was a clear priority for Arne Slot when he took over in the summer. The Dutchman's influence on Liverpool's back line has been significant. This season, Arsenal have conceded four more goals than Liverpool, while City have let in six more. Both Van Dijk and Konate have thrived under their new head coach.

Konate's transformation has been particularly striking after a series of injuries and poor form saw him lose his starting place to Jarell Quansah last season. He only started two of Klopp's final eight league games as Liverpool manager, both ending in defeat. It seemed likely that his time on the bench would continue into the new season when Quansah was named in the starting lineup for the Reds' Premier League opener against Ipswich Town.

However, after a challenging first half for Slot's team at Portman Road, Konate was called into action and has since become a stalwart in Liverpool's defense. The center-back's stats are some of the best in the Premier League this season, with his tackle success rate of 63% outperforming the figures posted by Arsenal's renowned duo William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.

Van Dijk, on the other hand, has been formidable in defense, also taking on more responsibility in initiating Liverpool's attacks. It's worth mentioning that no player in Europe's top five leagues has a better aerial duel win rate than the Reds pair.

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With Trent Alexander-Arnold on one side and either Andy Robertson or Kostas Tsimikas on the other, Van Dijk and Konate have contributed to reducing the number of shots Liverpool face. After the first seven games of last season, Liverpool had faced 101 shots on goal, compared to just 64 this season, and this increased resilience has so far paid off with the Reds currently leading the Premier League table.

Of course, there are tougher challenges ahead, but the numbers align with Slot's impressive defensive record at Feyenoord, who conceded the fewest shots from open play and the second-fewest goals in the Eredivisie last season.

With a daunting sequence of matches against Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen and City looming, Liverpool's defense is bracing itself for a stern examination. The old adage, famously espoused by Sir Alex Ferguson, that "attack wins you games, defense wins you titles" still holds true, and the Reds' solidity at the back suggests they may yet be in contention for major honors come the end of the campaign.