The Arne Slot era is underway – but what does the Dutchman need to do at Liverpool this season to challenge for the Premier League crown in his debut campaign?
Jurgen Klopp signed off his eight-year reign with a trophy and Champions League qualification.
Here’s how Slot can build on that foundation to capitalise on his predecessor’s legacy…
Get off to a flyer – and then stay at Man City and Arsenal’s levels
Pep Guardiola’s Man City and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal will be the favourites for Premier League glory
Liverpool took their title push well into April last season and while that ultimately tailed off, there is no doubt Klopp has left the club in a good place. Slot takes over Klopp’s Liverpool 2.0 on a firm footing. A third-place finish and a Carabao Cup win demonstrated the quality of the young talent coming through at the club and can be a launchpad.
But there is no escaping the fact Slot is going to face off against two hugely powerful opponents in Arsenal and Manchester City. PSV produced a near-perfect campaign in the Eredivisie to pull away from Slot’s Feyenoord but those are the standards he will have to get used to in the Premier League.
In recent years there has been no margin for error in England’s top flight and Slot will need to hit the ground running at the start of next season if he is to lead Liverpool into another title race next term.
The fixture computer has been kind. Liverpool will be big favourites to win six of their first seven games. Manchester United away on September 1 will be an intriguing early-season test but by the time Liverpool face Chelsea and Arsenal back-to-back in the second half of October Slot will need to have momentum behind him and a big haul of points already on the board.
Edge the key head-to-heads
Slot reveals how he gained ‘advice’ from Jurgen Klopp ahead of his first season in charge of the club
Liverpool were undefeated against champions Man City last season and held Arsenal to a point at Anfield. But scoring wins over the top two could be a decisive factor come the final standings.
City’s relentless nature in the second half of the season made up for their defeat at Arsenal but, for Liverpool, the psychological boost of victory in these massive head-to-heads would be huge.
It was March 2022 when they last beat Arsenal in the league. October 2022 when they last took maximum points off City.
The trip to Arsenal on Matchweek Nine is a huge early test for Slot. But also a huge opportunity. A chance to land a statement result to inspire the players, authenticate his management and put doubts into the minds of their title rivals.
Secure futures of key men
Speaking on the Transfer Talk podcast, Sam Tighe suggests that Liverpool fans may be ready to accept a bid for Mo Salah this summer given his age and contract status
Liverpool’s chances of reaching those levels of City and Arsenal would be boosted if Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold find top form. But those Liverpool superstars, who have each been crucial figures in the Klopp era, are out of contract next summer.
While it might be down to chief executive of football Michael Edwards and new sporting director Richard Hughes to work out the nitty-gritty of the contract details, dealing with the futures of three key men in the Liverpool squad is a priority for Slot.
It might seem unthinkable for Liverpool fans to lose any of that trio but that is the issue Slot must have a say on.
Salah, 32, could once again be subject to a big bid from Saudi Arabia. After his recent drop-off in form, could now be the time to cash in on the Egyptian?
Van Dijk turned 33 this summer and after the Netherlands’ exit from the Euros, the Liverpool captain said he would “think carefully” about his club and international future. What would a renewal for him look like?
Ultimately, Slot’s main role in this would be to convince these star players that the future is bright with him in charge and it is worth signing up for the journey – even if, in the case of Salah and Van Dijk, that might be on reduced terms to what they’re currently on.
Solve the striking problem
The best goals Liverpool scored in the 2023/24 Premier League season
Perhaps the biggest fix Slot could make to this Liverpool side is in the final third. Their finishing last season held them back badly.
Darwin Nunez is the usual scapegoat on this topic and there is no escaping the fact he had the worst big-chance conversion rate of forwards who had at least 10 clear-cut chances last term. He missed 27 of his 33 big openings.
How does Slot get more out of Liverpool’s £85m investment?
But with Salah (sixth) and Luis Diaz (12th) also ranking high for big chances missed last season, there is a wider finishing problem at Liverpool.
Liverpool had the highest Expected Goals (xG) total in the Premier League last season but underperformed that figure, having scored 86 rather than their anticipated 89.3.
In contrast, Arsenal and Man City both scored 14 goals more than their xG figures suggested they should have. Their cutting edge made a big difference.
Sign a top defensive midfielder
Liverpool may look to add another defensive midfielder to their team to support Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister
Liverpool are still yet to make a signing since Slot’s arrival and while we’ve already discussed ways they can improve with their current group, it feels as though defensive midfield is an area they need to address in the transfer market.
Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister shared duties in the holding role last season but with Slot often using a double pivot in that area of the park and questions over whether Endo is a long-term solution for Liverpool, a recruit is required.
That would free up Mac Allister to play in a No 10 role more akin to what he had at Brighton but perhaps also give Liverpool’s defence some more security – they did, after all, fall 1-0 behind in 23 matches last season.
Galvanise the Liverpool fans
Watch the best of Slot’s first press conference for Liverpool
Perhaps Slot’s most important task – and the most intangible – is to galvanise the Liverpool fans in a similar way to how Klopp did.
Slot cannot copy Klopp and no one would expect him to. The connection between the German and the Kop was a special and unique one. But in this time of transition, Slot will need to convince the supporter base that the path he is taking the club down is the right one to deliver success.
There were incredible scenes at Anfield as Jurgen Klopp led the Liverpool fans in chants for his imminent successor Arne Slot!
There will be bumps in the road, undoubtedly. And Slot and his players will need the Liverpool fans – and that famous Anfield atmosphere – at their backs to reach where they want to be.
Significant signings, big-name contract extensions and a goal-heavy fast start would help those fans believe Liverpool can kick on and challenge for top honours under Slot – and have them singing his name, just as Klopp implored them to.
What are the key dates for the 2024/25 season?
The 2024/25 Premier League season will start on the weekend of Friday August 16 and conclude on Sunday May 25 2025.
The campaign will run over 33 weekends, four midweek rounds and one Bank Holiday matchweek.
The Community Shield will take place on Saturday 10 August and the FA Cup final will take place on Saturday May 17, the weekend before the Premier League’s final day.
The Champions League final will be held on Saturday May 31. The Europa League final will be played on Wednesday May 21 in Bilbao, with the UEFA Conference League final a week later on Wednesday May 28.
Live Premier League on Sky Sports in 2024/25
Sky Sports will show 128 games exclusively live in the 2024/25 season – and a brand new agreement between Sky Sports and the Premier League means even more live matches from 2025/26.
From 2025, Sky Sports will broadcast a record minimum of 215 Premier League matches a season after finalising a new four-year agreement.
Throughout the 2024/25 season, you can watch Premier League match highlights for free – without being a Sky Sports subscriber.
You’ll find highlights from every Premier League game in the Score Centre, as well as on the Sky Sports website and Sky Sports app shortly after full-time, or from 5.15pm for midday Saturday kick-offs. You can also watch them on the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel.
You can stream Sky Sports live with no contract on a Month or Day membership on NOW – find out more about instant access to live action from the Premier League, EFL, F1, England cricket and much more.
Sky Sports+ – more sport, launching in August!
Sky Sports+ will give more choice to sports fans via live streams and a new dedicated channel, at no extra cost.
Launching this August, Sky Sports+ will be transformational in the amount of choice sports fans will have access to via live streams on Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the improved Sky Sports App on mobile.
With more coverage than ever before from the EFL, both tennis Tours and men’s Super League, Sky Sports customers can enjoy more than 50% more live sport this year.