Liverpool's Arne Slot gamble pays off after avoiding Jürgen Klopp panic button
The Liverpool hierarchy held their nerve and have been rewarded with the Premier League title.
Liverpool were crowned Premier League champions at a sun-soaked and jubilant Anfield on Sunday. The Reds only needed a point against Tottenham, but that is not their style.
Though Dominic Solanke's header inside a quarter of an hour was not in the script, Spurs' opener was little more than a hiccup. There has been an inevitability to Liverpool's title charge for months now, and Sunday was no different.
Arne Slot's side were at their sparkling best in a 5-1 victory to clinch the Premier League title and confirm that Liverpool's gamble on the Dutchman has paid off.
There had been a party atmosphere all day but the referee's whistle really lit the fuse. The pandemic robbed Liverpool fans of the chance to properly celebrate the 2019/20 win and it was clear to see that this one meant more as a result.
It's a triumph that moves them level with rivals Man Utd on 20 top-flight titles – Fergie's work to knock them off their perch undone – and a triumph that few would have predicted when Jürgen Klopp announced last January that the 2023/24 season was to be his last at the club.
Life beyond Klopp was a scary proposition for the red part of Merseyside – they only need to look across to Old Trafford to see how far a club can fall after an iconic leader departs – and there is a resulting sense of relief in the title celebrations. Disaster has been averted, the good times can continue.
First Manchester City and then Arsenal have fallen away, but Liverpool have not wavered from their task and are champions of England.
Slot deserves so much credit. Stepping into gigantic shoes, he has neither shrunk under the pressure nor tried to ignore the past for fear of comparison or to protect his own ego. As Virgil van Dijk put it to BBC Sport, Slot has done it "in his own way".
The Dutchman has repaid the faith put in him by the Liverpool chiefs. They did not hit the panic button ahead of Klopp's departure and have been rewarded with another Premier League title.
They could've let the appointment of the German's replacement be driven by fear and opted for a blockbuster name. They could've been swayed to jump for a high-profile continental hire with a proven track record of delivering floods of silver with a European heavyweight in a bid to, well, slot into the vast void left by Klopp's colossal character.
The Reds' top brass could have opted for a known quantity, a safe pair of hands, a fan-appeasing option, especially at a time when rivals Manchester United were wrestling with their own misadventure into the world of one-time golden-boy Eredivisie football managers.
Instead, they opted for Slot, a talented coach who had impressed at AZ Alkmaar and delivered trophies at Feyenoord. The 46-year-old was by no means a guaranteed success.
"They took someone who has knowledge of the game and plays the type of football they want to play," legendary Premier League goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar told me during an exclusive chat ahead of featuring at Soccer Aid this summer.
He said: "That’s great quality from the board and the owners of the club to make the right announcement for the manager."
Van der Sar played a key role in helping United equal and then move beyond Liverpool's title tally. By holding their nerve and not hitting the panic button for at Klopp's departure, the Anfield chiefs have found their man to grow into the club and restore parity.
With the futures of Mohamed Salah and Van Dijk secure, you wouldn't bet against the Dutchman adding No. 21 to the cabinet next season.
By entering your details you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Check out more of our Sport coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
