Arne Slot could be used as a dictionary example for the definition of cool, calm and collected, but even he must have some moments when his achievements so far at Liverpool take him by surprise.
Maybe it sinks in when you're sitting in your Aston Martin, stuck in the inevitable traffic on your way home from training each day. Or maybe when you're locked in your office watching videos of your upcoming opponents.
Seven wins out of seven and to the round of 16 of the Champions League without even a small stain, leader of the Premier League with only one defeat and still in both national cups. We won't discuss the “Q” word yet, but it will soon become a conversation that's hard to avoid.
French Lille, who played the last half hour with 10 men after the expulsion of Aissa Mandi, were the last inmate to be received in the so-called 'Slot penitentiary' after goals from Mohamed Salah and Harvey Elliott helped maintain the Liverpool's perfect record in Europe under Dutch command.
That means they can rotate a lot in next week's trip to Eindhoven to play PSV, as they are already winners of the group stage of this revamped Champions League – the Swiss model system that fans, players and coaches still They seem unsure if they like it or not. hate.
Liverpool fans are definitely in the category of lovers of the new regime. So far in their European adventures this season, they have defeated German champions Bayer Leverkusen, continental kings Real Madrid and, on top of that, a convincing win at the San Siro against Milan.
Lille are far from a household name in the European standings, but Bruno Genesio's side are no fools and came to Anfield on a 21-match unbeaten run, fifth in Europe and third in Ligue 1. That run included nine draws, to be fair, but the 2021 French champions are a tough nut to crack.
Mohamed Salah scored his 50th Champions League goal for Liverpool on Tuesday night.
But it was the seventh paradise for Arne Slot, who is undefeated in the Champions League and will probably win the league stage.
Harvey Elliott (right) helped Liverpool to their seventh victory and Liverpool won easily.
That was evident in the first half, as Liverpool only had one shot (on target or not) in the first half hour. There was little to write home about as the atmosphere and performance felt fairly flat, perhaps thanks to some solid Lille rearguard action.
There had also been a debate about Salah's form after the Egyptian had gone three games without scoring or assisting. To be fair, after registering 38 in his first 27 games of the season, a fortnight drought seems like a full-blown crisis for a player of this level.
But tough times never last long for Salah and he was soon back doing what he does best: launching a shot from the right side of the penalty area with his left foot, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance.
Lille's hard work unraveled and so did their defence, a beautiful Curtis Jones pass from deep cut them open like a warm knife through butter after Kostas Tsimikas fought to win possession from Jonathan David, a striker who is a regular guest on the transfer gossip pages. .
That was Salah's 50th European goal for Liverpool (he already tops that list in the club's history, nine ahead of Steven Gerrard) and it should have been 51 on the stroke of half-time, when Lille again left themselves open with a ball long. , this time by Luis Díaz, but he shot wide.
Liverpool continued to exploit the space behind the French team and Salah saw another attempt graze the post in the first attack of the second half, then Darwin Nunez threatened to run towards goal only to be let down by a slightly overcooked pass.
Jarell Quansah and Alexis Mac Allister also saw headers go just over the bar and it looked like it was a matter of time before a second went in. Those thoughts intensified on the hour mark when Mandi received a second yellow card for poor play. tackle on Díaz.
With 10 men and a goal at Anfield, it looked like Lille had a mountain to climb. But out of nowhere, with the next action, they were equal to their first shot on goal. Hakon Haraldsson saw a shot blocked by Tsimikas and then David followed up to grab the rebound.
Jonathan David (center) helped level the score in the 62nd minute with Lille down to 10.
Liverpool didn't have a standout game but, as seems to be the case in the Slot era, they didn't need it.
Lille worked hard at Anfield as they looked to extend their unbeaten run against tougher opposition.
His task was not made any easier when Aissa Mandi received his marching orders after a poor tackle on Luis Diaz.
Darwin Núñez thought he had confirmed Liverpool's victory late in the match, but saw his effort disallowed.
Slot has quickly become the envy of Europe as his team, Liverpool, continues to dominate both home and away.
Those who had traveled from northern France were already in good voice, but their side led for just five minutes. Substitute Elliott unleashed an audacious effort from 25 yards after a clearance fell to him and, with the help of Ngal'ayel Mukau's unfortunate outstretched leg, went in.
So while Slot can walk around with a poker face and talk about how he hasn't won anything yet (rightly so, to be fair), he should have some moments where it all settles into how well he's doing after putting on his boots. considerable shoes of moving forward. from legendary boss Jurgen Klopp.
Knowing him and the leading group at Anfield, there will be no means to celebrate the group's victory or its position in other competitions. But next month will define the season with some tough away league clashes and a Carabao Cup semi-final.
There was a lot of talk about the elusive 'Quadruple' in 2022 only for them to only – yes, only – win two trophies. We won't get into that yet, but one thing that has to be said is that the giants that stood in Liverpool's way then, Manchester City and Real Madrid, are significantly weaker now.
For now, fans will simply revel in the excellent job their new boss is doing. A knockout round in Europe to look forward to, a fight for the 20th English league title and still with two cups. It's still early days, but slot machines are the envy of the entire continent right now.