Liverpool have hit a bit of a snag in the last two games in the Premier League with back-to-back draws. They’re still at the top of the table with a game in hand, though Chelsea have cut the lead down to two points.
Regardless, Arne Slot has exceeded any and all expectations in his first half-season at Anfield. With his Reds in charge of the Premier League title race at the moment, comparisons with other contenders are inevitable.
arne slot is turning out better than Mikel arteta—here's how
In particular, debates on social media are comparing the Dutchman to the other manager that has been taking the fight to Man City in the last two season—Mikel Arteta.
With the Cityzens looking completely out of sorts and, arguably, already out of the title race this season, many would have expected the Gunners to finally end their drought and run away with the league, but that has not been the case. The current top two sides in the league are led by coaches who arrived only in the summer, which reflects not too well on the man in his fifth full season in North London.
Last week, at home, Liverpool did lose two more points against Fulham, but that they managed to get a point against the Cottagers at all warrants a closer inspection of the game in order to understand why Slot is already outperforming Arteta.
Against Fulham, Liverpool went a goal behind inside the opening 11 minutes. Just after the quarter-hour mark, they were down to ten men, with the veteran Andy Robertson given his marching orders to further compound his misery during what is turning out to be a trying campaign for the Scotsman. And yet, twice in the game, the Reds managed to level the proceedings and outplay Marco Silva’s men despite a man down.
Slot reverted to a 3-4-2 setup as soon as Robertson was sent off, as Ryan Gravenberch moved into defence and Cody Gakpo was asked to offer more defensively as a left-wingback. This did not immediately work, as Gakpo was found struggling with the added defensive responsibility. Duly, Slot tweaked things again by moving Joe Gomez on the left of the back three. This not only reduced the pressure on Gakpo but also allowed Liverpool to set up in an asymmetric manner, which saw Gomez operate as a left-back or left centre-back as per requirement, with Gakpo mostly staying up the pitch. This would go on to pay dividends, as Gakpo brought his side level right at the start of the second half. Even Slot’s changes delivered, with Darwin Núñez and Diogo Jota—both subs—combining four minutes from time to again bring Liverpool level.
Any other season, Liverpool could have walked away from the game empty-handed despite putting up a fight. Even here, they would have been excused if they lost, but the Reds’ combination of fight on the pitch and their head coach’s exquisite in-game decision-making demonstrated once again why they are leading the title race this season. Both their players’ and coach’s application is a testament of the club’s well-developed planning strategies that help them get out of even the stickiest of situations.
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In contrast, Mikel Arteta and Co are being peppered with the “Stoke City” jokes, and not without reason. No team want to leave any stones unturned in order to gain that extra edge, and one can commend Arsenal the have developed an unmatched lethality during corners, but this has evidently come at a cost.
Even after hundreds of millions of investment into this team, with the manager in place since 2019, Arsenal have looked thoroughly incapable of scoring from open play this season, and yet again arguments are being made for how they need a decisive forward to bail them out. They may very well be in the market for one such forward, and upon getting one they may very well be able to put these woes behind them, yet their current hardship reflects poorly on Arteta, who has been the Arsenal boss for over half a decade.
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Going into the second half of the campaign, it’s unquestionably advantage Slot as the Premier League looks finally ready for a new champion.