5th manager to win PL in 1st season
©TM/IMAGO
Liverpoolare once again Premier League champions. Their result against Tottenham has seen them confirm what has long been the inevitable. There were some fears that following Reds’ legend Jürgen Klopp could be a poisoned chalice, but what Arne Slot has achieved in his first ever season in English football is nothing short of phenomenal. His team have won the title with four games still to spare, as the Dutchman becomes just the fifth manager to win the Premier League title in his first season in England after José Mourinho with Chelsea in 2004/05, Carlo Ancelotti with Chelsea in 2009/10, Manuel Pellegrini with Manchester City in 2013/14, and Antonio Conte with Chelsea in the 2016/17 campaign.
As illustrated in the graphic above, Liverpool are projected to get 91 points this season based on their current points total, which would make it the third best ever season for a new manager in the Premier League. Slot’s achievements at Anfield have been incredible, but just how has he been able to have such an immediate impact at the club? At Transfer marketwe have picked out five key things the Dutchman did to bring the title back to Merseyside.
Five things Arne Slot did to win Liverpool the title
1. Moving Ryan Gravenberch to holding midfield
At the beginning of the season many Liverpool fans were disappointed that the club had failed to get a holding midfielder through the door. A failed deal for Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, who now looks set to join Arsenal this summer, portrayed echoes of the deals for Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia in which Liverpool were eventually beaten to by Chelsea the previous summer. Few could have predicted that Ryan Gravenberch, who had predominantly been used in more attacking roles by Klopp, would go on to be one of, if not the, best holding midfielder in the Premier League this season. But that has been the case. Only Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have played more Premier League minutes than Gravenberch, and no midfielder in the entire league has provided more interceptions. On and off the ball he has been exceptional.
2.Getting the best ever season out of a 32 year old Salah
Questions were beginning to be asked at the start of the season as to whether Salah’s best days were behind him. Cue his best ever campaign. The 32 year old has been Liverpool’s and the Premier League’s outstanding attacker this term, registering the best ever attacking season, numbers-wise, across a 38-game campaign, with 45 goals and assists already. He still has time to add to that. His new two-year contract would suggest Slot still thinks there is plenty in the tank, and the Dutchman’s ability to get the very best out of Liverpool’s Egyptian King has been integral to the club’s success.
3. Rotating his midfielders
Liverpool have been very lucky with injuries this season, and have had the luxury of being able to rotate. One area where this has been particularly noticeable is in the two midfielder positions ahead of Gravenberch. Each of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Curtis Jones have played over 2,000 minutes for Liverpool this season, and each have had their strong periods of form. There has also been a number of occasions where each of that trio has been afforded a rest when tiredness and fatigue has set in. Mac Allister has probably been the standout of the three but having three players that each can be relied upon in terms of availability and performances is a huge positive.
4. Making Konate Van Dijk’s partner & keeping him fit
Just 45 minutes into the Premier League season Slot made a decisive change. Jarell Quansah had played much of pre-season as van Dijk’s primary partner, and looked to have the shirt to lose, but boy did he lose it quickly. At half-time of Liverpool’s season opener against Ipswich, Ibrahima Konaté replaced Quansah and hasn’t looked back since. The Frenchman has played 27 of the Reds’ 33 Premier League matches, and formed one of the most formidable centre-back partnerships in the division alongside van Dijk. Injuries have been a persistent issue for Konaté during his time at Anfield, but he has only missed a handful of games this term, and Liverpool will be grateful for that.
5. Unorthodox strikers (Jota, Diaz & Gakpo rotating)
Darwin Núñezis the only real orthodox striker in Liverpool’s ranks. However, the Uruguayn has struggled for game-time, starting just eight Premier League matches this term. Instead Slot has opted to primarily share out the main centre-forward role between three players: Cody Gakpo, Luis Díaz, and Diogo Jota. There have been numerous games where Gakpo and Díaz have rotated that striker role within the match itself. Jota has had a few injury issues but has offered something different himself when put up-top, and scored some important goals. This rotation has made Liverpool unpredictable, and left opposition defences guessing.
