Why Arne Slot is Having the Best Debut Managerial Season in Premier League History

Arne Slot is embarking on a historic first season as Liverpool manager. Cruising to the title and dominating in the Champions League, Slot has quickly erased any sadness about Jurgen Klopp’s departure at the end of 2023/24.

Slot hasn’t had to overhaul the squad at great expense. He’s worked with what he had, elevating younger players, bringing the best out of many of the squad’s veterans, and making sure Liverpool have taken full advantage of Manchester City’s decline.

Defying Even The Loftiest Expectations

Anyone looking to bet on Premier League outright markets before the season saw Liverpool priced third – behind Manchester City and Arsenal – to win the title. Finishing nine points off the summit last term, consolidating with another top-four finish would have been a satisfactory outcome, particularly after Federico Chiesa was the only significant summer signing.

Instead of competing for third or fourth, Liverpool have disappeared into the distance, boasting an 11-point lead over Arsenal at the time of writing.

Prior to opening day, Liverpool could realistically have been battling Manchester United and Tottenham for a Champions League spot. Instead, the Red Devils and Lilywhites have seen their Premier League relegation odds shorten (to 50/1 and 150/1, respectively), while Liverpool have moved to 1/14 to win the title.

A shock FA Cup defeat to Plymouth has been the only real blip for Slot in his first season at Anfield. They overcame a first-leg defeat to beat Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final, giving them a very real shot at winning three trophies.

Who Is Slot Up Against?

When it comes to comparing Slot against the best debut seasons from Premier League managers, there is one clear criterion: The manager must have won the Premier League in their first campaign.

This narrows it down to Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Conte, and Manuel Pellegrini. Ancelotti won Chelsea’s fist ever double. Conte lost the FA Cup final and won the league at a canter after switching to a back three. Pellegrini picked up the League Cup but saw his City team eliminated in the last 16 of the Champions League and the sixth round of the FA Cup.

Conte didn’t have to cope with the rigours of European football, which takes him out of this debate. His achievement was spectacular given Chelsea’s 10^th-placed finish in the prior season, but he made significant signings in Marcos Alonso, N’Golo Kante, and David Luiz.

Pellegrini’s success at City deserves plaudits. While he spent plenty of money, Fernandinho was the only difference-making signing. Being knocked out of the Champions League by the mid-2010s version of Barcelona was hardly a massive failure.

Ancelotti, like Slot, didn’t get to revamp his squad. Yuri Zhirkov was his biggest summer signing. He worked with what he had, which was an immensely talented, experienced, trophy-winning group, led by John Terry, Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, and Michael Ballack.

Chelsea fell to Inter in the round of 16 of the Champions League. They didn’t confirm their status as Premier League winners until the final day of the season, despite setting a record for goals scored in a season.

Slot Stands Ahead

Liverpool are on course to win the Premier League by a comfortable margin as Conte’s Chelsea did. Slot will do so while navigating an elongated Champions League first round and potentially taking the Reds on a deep run in the competition.

While the Liverpool manager inherited a very good squad, he has managed to coach through the flaws that saw them fall short in last season’s title race.

Beat PSG and Slot has already had a deeper Champions League run than any other manager to win the Premier League in their first season. If he can add the League Cup, too, he will have equalled Ancelotti and Pellegrini’s trophy count as well.