Liverpool March On In Dream Debut Season For Arne Slot

Arne Slot’s dream debut season at Liverpool shows no signs of slowing as The Reds lead the way both domestically and in Europe.

Here we take a look at how the 2024/25 season is shaping up for Liverpool whilst we also compare Slot’s brief time in charge to the debut seasons of some of the club’s greatest managers.

Closing In On Title Twenty

We’ve just moved past the half-way point in this season’s Premier League campaign and Liverpool remain on course for a twentieth English league title thanks to a return of 50 points in 21 matches. Arne Slot’s side are six points clear of their nearest challengers having played one game fewer.

Liverpool’s superb form sees them boast both the division’s most potent attack and meanest defence. A +30 goal difference includes 50 goals scored and just 20 goals conceded.

Conquering Europe

Liverpool’s excellent Premier League form has been replicated on the continent with The Reds riding high at the top of the table in this season’s new-look UEFA Champions League league stage.

Arne Slot’s side have already booked a spot in the last-16 with a perfect seven wins from seven, including victories over the likes of AC Milan (3-1), Bayer Leverkusen (4-0) and Real Madrid (2-0). Liverpool conclude the league stage with an away tie at PSV Eindhoven next week before they can then look forward to a last-16 fixture in March.

Expiring Contracts

Liverpool may remain on course for the quadruple in Slot’s debut season but many of the headlines this season have been regarding the ongoing contract negotiations of three key players. Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all out of contract in the summer and their respective futures remain the subject of intense speculation.

Club captain, Van Dijk looks the most likely to extend his stay at Anfield whilst the loss of both Salah and Alexander-Arnold would be a major blow. Salah is in the form of his life and currently leads the Premier League’s scoring charts with 18 goals in 21 matches. The Egyptian looked set to depart Anfield this summer with Saudi Arabia his most likely destination.

However, the adage “no news is good news” certainly applies here and the closer we get to the end of the season, the more likely Salah is to stay at Liverpool. According to leading sports betting site betting.bet, Salah is now priced at just 2/5 to extend his stay at Anfield.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been at Liverpool since he was six years old but his twenty-year stay at Anfield looks to be coming to an end with the England international tipped for a summer move to Real Madrid. The Spanish giants made a transfer bid for Alexander-Arnold this month which was swiftly rebuffed but they are likely to get their man in the summer for free.

Same Old Faces

Following the summer departure of Jurgen Klopp, many pundits and Liverpool fans alike were expecting wholesale changes to the Liverpool playing squad, expecting Slot to really put his own stamp on the club. However, this did not materialise with new boss, Slot putting his faith in the bulk of a squad that had finished third in the Premier League a season earlier.

Thiago and Joel Matip retired and a handful of fringe players including Adrian, Fabio Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg were allowed to leave. Italy international Federico Chiesa was the only summer arrival but the former Fiorentina and Juventus forward has hardly set the world alight at his new club. Instead, Arne Slot put his faith in the likes of Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo.

Arne Slot’s ability to get the best out of peripheral figures such as Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones and Caoimhin Kelleher has undoubtedly strengthened Liverpool’s squad without having to dip into the transfer market.

How Slot Measures Up To Predecessors

Arne Slot has exceeded expectations in his first six months at Liverpool but how does the former Feyenoord boss compare to Liverpool’s former managers? Slot’s incredible 78.79% win percentage puts him well clear of Kenny Dalglish (60.91%) and Jurgen Klopp (60.9%) as the Liverpool boss with the highest win percentage across all competitions.

Arne Slot’s managerial record in 2024:

50 games managed
40 wins
9 draws
1 loss pic.twitter.com/pKkoGzDlrh

— The Football Crew (@theftblcrew) December 30, 2024

Slot could also become just the third Liverpool manager and the first since Dalglish in 1985/86 to win a league title in his first season.

The greatest debut season from a Liverpool manager is undoubtedly Joe Fagan’s superb 1983/84 campaign. Stepping out of the shadows of Shankly and Paisley, Fagan guided Liverpool to a superb treble in his first season, winning the First Division, European Cup and League Cup.

Most Points After First 20 League Games

The post Liverpool March On In Dream Debut Season For Arne Slot appeared first on Friends Of Liverpool.