It was supposed to be a season of transition for Liverpool. Little did even the club’s most optimistic fans know, it would be a transition straight into Premier League glory.
With its win against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Liverpool bulldozed its way to a record-tying 20 English league titles. It draws Liverpool level with Manchester United as the winningest club in English soccer history. And with four matches still remaining in the season, Liverpool won the league convincingly.
The season started in the shadow of doubt. Jurgen Klopp, the team’s German tactician, departed the club after eight trophy-laden seasons. Klopp’s blood and thunder style of play, known as “gegenpressing,” kept Liverpool fans on their feet with high-scoring, entertaining soccer. Klopp won the gamut as manager, including Liverpool’s first English title in 30 years in 2020 and club soccer’s most prestigious trophy, the UEFA Champions League in 2019.
But it was Klopp’s embrace of Liverpool’s community, charm in press conferences, and signature hugging of players that endeared him to the Anfield faithful and lionized him as the club’s father figure. His withdrawal from the Liverpool touchline at the conclusion of the 2024 season made fans anxious about what would come next.
Cue Arne Slot, the up-and-coming Dutch manager tapped to replace Klopp. Slot had been successful in the Netherlands, leading his Feyenoord team to the Dutch championship, but a new league and different caliber of play meant success was far from guaranteed.
In his first press conference as a Liverpool manager in July of 2024, Slot acknowledged the gargantuan task of replacing a legend while remaining optimistic.
“They are big shoes to fill,” Slot said. “But you can look at it as inheriting a squad and a team which has a winning culture … We have a real good squad, and as a manager, you want to work at a club with good players with an opportunity to win something,”
And win something his players did, with no squad member more consequential than Mohamed Salah, Liverpool’s lethal right winger. Nicknamed “The Egyptian King,” Salah bagged goal after goal for the Reds this season. The prolific form skyrocketed Salah to the top of the Premier League goalscoring charts with 28 goals in 34 appearances.
And it’s not just goals. Salah has also managed to dominate the assist charts, leading the league with 18.
Unlike Salah, who’s consistently been Liverpool’s most important player since his arrival in the Premier League in 2017, squad members like Ryan Gravenberch, Ibrahima Konaté, and Cody Gakpo have all found their top form under Slot after struggling to reach those heights under Klopp.
Slot’s ability to get the most out of his Liverpool squad catalyzed the team’s success. Undergirding the uptick in performances was a reinvention of the Liverpool style of play.
With Klopp at the touchline, Liverpool became famous for eccentric, counter-attacking chaos that led to many goals for, but also against, Liverpool. Under Slot, that chaos has been contained.
And while multi-goal thrillers aren’t as common on Merseyside, Slot’s more possession-oriented style of play has led to fewer goals conceded and more consistent wins. In Klopp’s last season, Liverpool recorded only 10 clean sheets in the Premier League. So far this season, Slot’s squad has already kept fourteen, the most in the league.
Though Slot and Klopp coach their teams to the tune of different philosophies, one important value of Liverpool Football Club has remained constant throughout the transition: trusting the team’s youth.
Klopp turned teenagers like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, and Harvey Elliott into stars of the Premier League. Slot is continuing in that vein, giving opportunities to youngsters like Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley ample time to shine.
“That’s very important for every club but especially for this club,” Slot said in January. “It’s nice to see there are some youngsters who are having an impact in our team and on games. It’s nice because it gives good energy in the building if the academy players are playing well.”
Superstars like Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, and Jamie Carragher all emerged from Liverpool’s academy over the years. Slot managed to maintain that commitment to bringing through youth while also claiming silverware.
Without taking away from Slot’s impressive achievement, it’s worth noting that Liverpool’s traditional rivals had underwhelming seasons. Liverpool’s main rival in recent years, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, self-destructed early in the season after losing Rodri, their defensive midfield maestro. Prior to this season, City had won an unprecedented four titles in a row.
Closest to Liverpool in the table is Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. The Gunners appeared capable of putting up a title challenge earlier on in the season before getting plagued by injuries and consequent mediocre performances.
And Liverpool’s historical biggest rival, Manchester United, is languishing on the bottom half of the table in 14th. While this season’s trophy ties Liverpool with United as the most successful teams in English soccer history with 20 titles apiece, momentum, squad depth, and managerial success suggest Liverpool is much closer to 21 than Manchester United.
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