'I didn't want to say this publicly but I've got one fear about Arne Slot and Liverpool'

Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James has for with the second international break of the season already upon us. The Reds are not in action again until a week on Sunday when Chelsea comes to Anfield.

"My fear for is — and I didn't want to say this publicly, but I have to now, because you've drawn me into it — is post-international breaks," James told the . "I think we saw that against .

"Simply because what I believe was the pre-season going into the beginning of the under Slot there, I think the team were just like, this is what we do. This is how we do it: Training, training, training. We do it in the game: Bang, bang, bang. We win games of football.

"But, that first international break, it was 10 days of not having Slot's training, and then they came back after a couple of days to try and get back into it. And it just didn't work against Forest."

On that occasion, Callum Hudson-Odoi's brilliant strike from distance was enough to earn Nottingham Forest a 1-0 win. Liverpool created very little on the day and couldn't break down the low block that Nuno Espirito Santo successfully deployed.

While the Reds lost, though, the outcome could have been different: goalkeeper Matz Sels nearly scored an own goal and on another day, Hudson-Odoi's shot could have gone wide rather than beating .

Aside from that poor showing, though, Liverpool has a 100 per cent record under Slot so far. It has won two out of two in the , progressed in the Carabao Cup to set up a fourth-round tie at Brighton, and leads the Premier League table after six wins from seven games.

Liverpool.com says: When the only dropped points come after the international break, this was always going to be the accusation leveled at Liverpool. It will be up to the Reds and Slot to prove that the assessment is wrong.