BBC journalist asks uncomfortable Slot question Liverpool must confront

Liverpool’s position in the Premier League may look stable on paper, but a broader question about our head coach is beginning to frame the wider conversation.

Writing for BBC Sport, senior journalist Luke Reddy asked whether Arne Slot is starting to feel the weight of the standards left behind by Jurgen Klopp.

It is a question that inevitably resurfaces whenever results fail to match performance.

Saturday’s 1–1 draw with Burnley acted as the latest trigger.

Slot statistics put Liverpool debate in sharp focus

Reddy referenced a statistic that has circulated heavily in recent days, comparing our current league return with one of the most uncomfortable eras in modern Liverpool history.

Roy Hodgson averaged 1.25 points per game during his spell at Anfield.

Across our last 17 Premier League matches, Slot’s side have averaged 1.24 points per game, a figure shared by Michael Reid, Football Data Editor for Opta.

That comparison alone risks stripping away vital context.

Across his Liverpool tenure as a whole, the Dutchman averages 2.02 points per game with a 61.36% win rate, numbers that sit remarkably close to Klopp’s 2.065 points per game and 62% win rate.

For perspective, even Kenny Dalglish’s first spell returned a 60.91% win rate, while Brendan Rodgers averaged 1.75 points per game.

Those broader figures underline why reducing Slot’s reign to a selective run tells only part of the story.

It also explains why the Hodgson comparison, while statistically accurate in isolation, feels misleading.

Slot performance levels show Liverpool context matters

Against Burnley, the performance offered a counterpoint to the raw league table.

We registered 32 shots, generated an xG of 3.18, and controlled 73% possession.

Dominik Szoboszlai striking the bar from the penalty spot changed the entire afternoon before Florian Wirtz again provided the decisive quality in the final third.

After full-time, Virgil van Dijk admitted there was “something lacking” while also urging unity, saying: “That’s the reality and we need support.”

Those words matter.

Slot inherited a squad undergoing unprecedented turnover only months after delivering a Premier League title in his first season.

There is currently no team in the division with a winning run longer than one match, while we hold the longest unbeaten streak.

Pressure will grow, that is inevitable at Liverpool.

But judging a title-winning head coach purely through the lens of selective statistics ignores performance, context, and trajectory.

Slot is not chasing Klopp’s shadow, he is building something under conditions few before him have faced.

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