Arne Slot has led Liverpool to a record-similar 20th Top-Flight title in his debut campaign that was in charge of Anfield, but what exactly has the Dutchman changed to make them competition champions?
When Jurgen Klopp shocked the football world by unexpectedly calling the time on his trophy-charging term in Liverpool last January, the Reds boss was on Sky Sports: “Liverpool 2.0 does not stop after I left. It is just the start of another project with a really good team.”
Klopp itself had played a key role in reforming the midfield of the Reds in the summer of 2023 with so much success that Liverpool 2.0 was still a historic four -fold in March.
However, they hoped home third in the Premier League, with only the Carabao Cup to mark the last season of German at the helm.
Slot, who was confirmed in May as the successor to Klopp, and another new face in the club last summer, sports director Richard Hughes decided to stay with the team that Klopp had built after he had seen Martin Zubimendi reject a move to Anfield.
The duo only brought forward Federico Chiesa and goalkeeper Giorgi Mhamardashvili, where the last until next season stayed in Valencia.
On the way to this campaign, nobody predicted that Slot would make the so-called impossible task of successful Klopp possible by leading Liverpool to just a second Premier League title.
What does the 46-year-old Tweak, both on and outside the field, have to produce one of the most unforeseen championship profits in recent years?
No fist pumps to the head of the calm
Liverpool had two dominant paths to consider – revolution or stable evolution – when searching for the successor to Klopp. Through a refined data lens that gave a priority to factors such as over performance, individual coaching improvements, fitness rates for players, effective communication and dealing with high -pressure mospheres, the club investigated both options.
Sports's Ruben Amorim -The popular choice after Xabi Alonso from Bayer Leverkusen had removed himself from the comparison -and ending were the striking candidates in the contrasting approaches, but the 3-4-3 of the first would be enough time, adjustment and a HILLY -SQUADRON would see Liverpool completely.
Revolution did not do as much as small tweaks for a playing style that already worked, led by a man who never showed a sign that he was phased by Klopp's greater than a life influence on the club during his interview, and rather leaned in it.
Immediately from Slot's Low-Key Introductory Press Conference, he has shown exactly the opposite of his predecessor in almost every way, another characteristic that attracted him to Hughes and the Fenway Sports Group.
Slot even refused to occupy the Formby Residence that was originally owned by Steven Gerrard, before he got home from Brendan Rodgers and then his successor, Klopp, instead only lived in an apartment with his family in Zwolle.
In the meantime, there have been no drawn hamstrings while having civil servants, exuberant parties with fans or fist pumps after the game to the head – and how the team responded to that quieter presence in the Dugout.
Make no mistake that for an unwillingness to make unpopular decisions, which the new man showed in his very first game that was in charge of crocheting Jarell Quansah during the rest in Ipswich because he did not win enough of his air dips, while both Trent Alexander-Arnold as Darwin Nunez can also confirm his more Rudish side.
Mandatory breakfast, previous training and staying at home before Anfield Games
The methods of Klopp had of course resulted in one of the most successful periods in the history of the club, but ending was still not afraid to bring in important off-field-tweaks while he bed in his beliefs in the preseason.
There was an earlier reporting time of 9.15 am to the AXA training field, while breakfast together was now mandatory before sessions and players could stay at home in the night for home games instead of in a hotel in the city, such as under Klopp.
“People who have more knowledge about this than me tell me that you always sleep better in your own bed than a hotel bed,” Slot explained in August.
“Sleep is a very important part of getting the best possible performance. It is nice for them to be home with their families, but also, in the opinion of the people who tell me these things, they are better prepared for our games.”
It is a change that went well with the players in all respects, where Captain Virgil van Dijk says: “I personally like to sleep in my own bed and I am with my family, and so it works very well.”
Less running means fewer injuries
In the meantime, the training was now longer but less intense, with Ruben Peters, who also came with the new physical performance coach of the club, determined to listen to the players in the preseason to the possible reasons for the chronic injury crisis of the Reds that Klopp's last campaign beat Anfield.
With lock that also the playing style of the Tweak team, from Klopp's Heavy Metal, organized chaos to a more possession, slower percussion, which means that in fact less high-octaan runs, Liverpool has only lost 37 injuries, with only 816 days of loss of injuries this season, in large contrast to Rivals in Rivals.
Daily meetings of an obsessive with football
Another change of Klopp's time that was in charge is the introduction of daily meetings, with quick feedback for each player about how their training session or match day went from a man who is obsessive through improvement.
As such, Slot has set a huge focus on better positioning for his players, even in exercises such as Rondos who, instead of a warm -up mechanism, have become an integral part of his training sessions.
When Slot leaves the AXA training place to go to his apartment, he would still judge the session of the day or go through competition-specific details, with the club after the game and the development of the elite player development of Daniel Speararritt who had the assignment to cut out moments from games, because they are later shown as players like the Dutchman.
“We usually have meetings every day,” said Conor Bradley in August. “Some are short and sharp, some are longer. We didn't really have meetings last year, only the day before the competition.
“There are differences with what Jurgen did and what the Gaffer is doing now.”
This one-on-one coaching of Slot has certainly brought about noticeable improvements this season in some Liverpool players, such as Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch, Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konate.
Alexander-Arnold has also credited this to improve his game.
“If an attacker comes through me and passes me, he will call it in meetings and individual meetings, and say that this cannot happen,” he said in September. “We go through every game together and he emphasizes where he wants me to improve.
“It is really refreshing to have a manager who will help and guides and learns how I can get better as a player. I am someone who wants to learn, someone who wants to be the best and someone who strives to be the best ever.”
Subtle tweaks on the field integrally under the success of Reds
The club needed a rent where the emphasis would be on coaching results, with Hughes and CEO of Voetbal in Liverpool, Michael Edwards, who did not want a Klopp-Lite, nor someone who felt that they had to surpass the German in the personality bars, who would have been a lost battle.
Slot trust was not loud or brash. He had faith in his methodology, which had worked at both Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar and focused on individual coaching to maximize the positioning and potential of a player.
His use of Gravenberch at the basis of the midfield of Liverpool – a position that Klopp preferred to use Wataru Endo in last season – has been a masterstroke [only West Ham’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka has made more interceptions this season]Such as stationing Salah wider on the right, with the full-back and no 8 on that flank further away from him to create more space.
“Here you have to give a lot of credit because you can see that it was not before,” Thierry Henry told the Monday evening football of the Egypt's Positional Tweak this season.
Salah has responded with his best topplight goal involvement per minute since he came to the club in 2017 while he is on course for a record number of Premier League assists, and looks happier, in contrast to this time last season when he was seen with Klopp on the London Stadium Touchline.
Some have even credited a lock with Salah who finally puts pen on paper about a new two -year -old deal on Anfield.
Elsewhere in the team, Gakpo was back to his comfort zone on the left and Diaz that operated through the middle were other small but integral changes.
In the meantime, Slot went away from Klopp's 4-3-3 'Gegenpressioning' to a more structured 4-2-3-1, to build on structure and property, where the more controlled style of Liverpool runs less and offers more in-game rest.
In contrast to Klopp, rarely devoured from his proven formation, the Dutchman was flexible enough to go to Manchester City in February and to play without a recognized striker, who, instead, prefers the use of both Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai as alternating false no 9s as the Reds as a manager.
Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson have a huge different roles than theirs under Klopp, when they were constantly attacking points of sale for the team as overlapping full-backs, as their goals and assists showed totals.
This season, however, the duo spent less time bombing the halfway through the half line, where Alexander -Arnold is usually looking for Salah early with long balls over the top, as can be seen on different occasions – starting on the opening day when they combined for the second goal of Liverpool in Ipswich, or for the opener against Anfield in Anfield.
Finally, although Slot has generally shown a reluctance to deviate from his familiar starting XI – van Dijk, his Salah and Gravenberch have started every league match this season – his actual changes in the game have often been decided, because 13 league goals of substitutes are demonstrating this season.
“The reason that Liverpool received a point in this game is up to the manager,” said Jamie Carragher on MNF after 10 player Liverpool's Come-From-Behind 2-2 draw with Fulham in Anfield in November.
“He is as good as every manager in the Premier League when spotting things on the field and making a tactical change or changing things quickly.”