The Merseyside club just clinched their long-awaited 20th English league title.
After seeing the back of the charismatic talisman in Jurgen Klopp last year, who revived Liverpool and made them a formidable force in English football again after decades of mediocrity, there was a sea of apprehension amongst the Liverpool fans about what the future holds for them and whether they were to follow the trajectory of fellow big shots and rivals like Manchester United and Arsenal FC after their era defining mangers left the ship.
But it seems like the club hit jackpot with the signing of Dutch manager Arne Slot from Feyenoord. Slot walked in and not only took control of the ship but rode the waves like a veteran pirate, raided the premier league in his very first season and took home the bounty.
What many referred to as a new manager bounce in the beginning of the season turned out to be a consistent output machine well oiled by the tactical acumen of Arne Slot, so much so that there was not even a title race at display. Which begs the question what the outcome would have been if the champions were put under pressure by the likes of Manchester city and Arsenal.
So, did Liverpool just happen to be lucky that their rival candidates had an underwhelming season, is Arne Slot a one season wonder or is this just the beginning of something special in Merseyside? Let’s look into it.
Even though the season hasn’t been the most dominant and flawless by Liverpool, they’re still on course to hitting 94 points at the end of the season, which would have them clinch the title in all of the previous four seasons and have lost just two games so far.
Many might say that the dutchman is just reaping the fruits of the labor his predecessor put in, but Slot’s CV suggests otherwise. He rather has a habit of hitting the ground running.
After learning his managerial trade at SC Cambuur as an assistant manager and later as a head coach in 2016 with a remarkable win percentage of approx. 61.8 percent.
Slot then moved onto AZ Alkmaar as head coach in 2019 following a short stint as assistant manager, where his side was sitting at the top of the Eridivisie before the season was called off due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
However these were just the stepping stones. Slot took over as the head coach of Feyenoord in July 2021, leading them to the UEFA Europa Conference League final in his first season. In his following season he guided Feyenoord to their first Eredivisie title since 2017 against the dominant Dutch forces like Ajax and PSV. In the season after, he even secured the KNVB Cup. This ability of Arne Slot to get the most out of the available resources is what probably landed him the Liverpool job and he has just rewarded the trust with a league title.
Although Slot has a tendency to overachieve throughout his career, and this title might look like another case of that, I would argue this wasn’t even Liverpool at its best and the ceiling is probably higher. Besides, Liverpool are likely to build on this by backing Slot in the upcoming summer window so that he can build his own team that can bring his footballing vision to its utmost zenith.
Not to mention Liverpool securing the services of their stars in Mohammad Salah and Virgil Van Dijk for at least another two years gives Slot a strong base to build on. If Liverpool can successfully strengthen their squad, primarily the left back and striker positions, and other holistic signings, they might be more than equipped to defend their title. They’ve been linked heavily with left back Milos Kerkez and young center back Dean Huijsen of Bournemouth alongside the marquee Newcastle striker Alexander Isak and many others. The club owners, FSG, under the guidance of Michael Edwards are known for shrewd business and data driven moves in the transfer market and the new sporting director Mark Hughes would also have a point to prove overseeing his first big summer window after joining the reds last year.
Guardiola’s wounded City and Arteta’s hungry Arsenal would be looking to disrupt the party and claim the title next season so it is probably unlikely that Liverpool will stroll their way to the title but they certainly will be keen on fetching their 21st title and claiming their perch back.
Afterall Liverpool FC are no stranger to seeing an iconic manager leave with his successor taking on the baton and filling the cabinet with trophies one after the other. Although, the Anfield faithful would love the Shankly to Paisely fairytale, which established them as the giants of English and European football in the 70s and 80s, come to life again, whether history will repeat itself, we’re yet to find out.