Although, anecdotally, Arne Slot has made a great start to life as head coach of Liverpool FC, it’s also now official.
During the post-1992 Premier League era, no top-flight manager has got off to a better start than the Dutchman.
He has won 15 of his opening 17 games in charge at Anfield, which is not only a record but a reason for why Reds fans are dreaming big this season.
So can Liverpool end Manchester City’s four-year monopoly on the Premier League trophy?
Slotting In
The bookmakers are certainly expecting a strong Liverpool run to the title; they give the Reds 4/5 odds of lifting the trophy in their English Premier League betting odds.
The Premier League title odds are indicative of the strength Liverpool have shown so far, but also the relative weakness shown by Manchester City, who are currently 7/2 to lift the trophy. The Cityzens lost five games in a row at the end of October into November, whilst Arsenal (10/3) won only six of their opening 12 EPL games.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have got off to a remarkable start. With 31 points after 12 games, they lead the way at the top of the standings by eight points from City. That is the second-largest lead, at this stage of the season, in Premier League history, with only Manchester United in 1993/94 having enjoyed a wider margin at the same point.
And they went on to win the title rather comfortably.
Arne Slot today officially begins his role as our new head coach 🙌🔴
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) June 1, 2024
Slot is just one of the individuals that should take the credit for Liverpool’s great start. And it’s been a case of quiet evolution, as opposed to widespread evolution. He has taken the hard pressing, high defensive line of his predecessor, Jurgen Klopp, and just turned down the volume a couple of notches.
So Liverpool are now about control, as opposed to controlled chaos, and that’s evident in their fine start to life under the Dutchman.
Salah Days
While the Reds’ success has been a collective effort, there’s no doubt that Mo Salah has raised his game to new heights under Slot.
The Egyptian was the first player in any of Europe’s top five leagues to register ten goals and ten assists this season, while after 12 games of the Premier League campaign, Salah has had 16 goal involvements; at least four more than any other player.
3 – Mo Salah is the first player in Premier League history to score 10+ goals and provide 10+ assists in three consecutive seasons. He is also only the second player to tally 10+ in both in five separate seasons in the competition overall, after Wayne Rooney. Permanent. pic.twitter.com/yNOUVMo6Nr
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 5, 2024
Salah has adapted to Slot’s tactics straight out of the gate, tending to stay wider on the right-hand side than he did under Klopp. But his goals and assists output confirm that he is timing his inverted runs into the penalty area as well as ever before.
If Liverpool are to win the Premier League title this term, you can be sure that Salah will have played a key role in their run to the trophy.
