Manchester City could not keep up with Liverpool last season and the Merseyside club have been busy at the beginning of the transfer market
Guardiola and Slot
Guardiola and Slot
In the end, a Liverpool title win felt more palatable for Manchester City than it could have done. It helped that it wasn't Arsenal, it helped that Pep Guardiola's side were never really in the race, and it also helped that Arne Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp.
Where Klopp would tubthump Liverpool's greatness and play to the gallery with some sly comments about City's ownership or spending or charges, Slot is unashamedly a fan of City. He came into the job describing Guardiola's side as one that he most enjoyed watching, and even after winning the title was using some of City's success as the benchmark.
Having won the league, Slot still can't be sure that his players have what it takes to win multiples titles as City have done. Just as you can't know if they have the mentality to win the league until they do it, the doubts for anything will be there until it is done.
"I think we have a lot to compete next season again but what I don't know yet, and that's going to be the interesting one, is if we have this elite mentality, this serial winner mentality of showing up season after season," Slot said. "I think I will see that on July 8 when we're all back together.
"Many teams have won the Premier League once but not many have won it multiple seasons in a row and that's for a reason. First of all, because it's difficult because not every player has that elite mentality."
Slot will have to wait until pre-season begins for Liverpool next month, yet already in the transfer market the club have taken an approach that City will recognise. Jeremie Frimpong has been signed already, negotiations are well underway for Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez while Caoimhin Kelleher has agreed an £18m move to Brentford that will go a long way to helping the balance sheet.
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City can reasonably expect that Liverpool will find it more difficult next season because teams raise their game for the champions, and the Blues themselves should be considerably better.
But if there are still doubts over Liverpool's ability to win back-to-back titles, what can no longer be uncertain is their ambition to keep the title away from the Etihad for a second successive season.
In doing what City have done so often and attacking the transfer market from a position of strength rather than sitting back, Liverpool are doing all that they can to make themselves serial winners. When the season begins, City have to treat them as a major threat - probably the biggest one in the league - until they are proven otherwise.
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