Analysis: What has Arne Slot Really Changed at Liverpool Compared to Jurgen Klopp? | OneFootball

Comparing the Key Metrics: What Has Arne Slot Really Changed at Liverpool?

We’re now seven Premier League games into Arne Slot’s reign as Liverpool manager and it’s fair to say that it’s looking pretty promising so far. The Reds head into the October international break top of the league, with 18 points from their opening seven games.

With that international break upon us, now is the perfect time to really reflect on Liverpool’s start to the season and what has really changed under the guidance of Slot…

Slot’s Strong Defence

By far the most notable change under Slot has been the improvement in the back line, which was causing all sorts of problems under Jurgen Klopp last season. The most obvious indicator behind this improvement is that the Reds have conceded just two goals in their opening seven Premier League games. The first one being a stunner by Nottingham Forest’s Callum Hudson-Odoi and the other being a rare mistake at the back against Wolves.

Photo: IMAGO

In Jurgen Klopp’s final seven Premier League games, Liverpool conceded 11 goals. That defensive record as a major reason why their title challenge collapsed around them and Slot has seemingly acknowledged that and has made a strong start at rectifying it.

There’s of course underlying numbers to look at too. In Klopp’s last seven games, Liverpool were conceding big chances at an average of 2.42 per 90 minutes, as well as a huge 1.37xG conceded. Slot has managed to completely flip that so far, really limiting the quality of chances being conceded. So far this season, the Reds are averaging just 1.71 big chances conceded per 90 and just 0.73xG.

There could be a number of reasons behind this improvement, whether it be the increased defensive duties of the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson in the wide positions or even the creation of a double pivot between Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch to add that further layer of protection ahead of the back line. These two changes have made Liverpool’s shape much more strong and structured, whilst still allowing freedom to be expressive and creative on the front-foot.

Possession and Creation

Interestingly, many see Slot’s new style as heavily possession based, whereas Klopp’s was often labelled as ‘chaotic’ and ‘end-to-end’. However, many forget how possession-dominant Liverpool were under Klopp, even in those final seven games where they really struggled. Across those last seven games, Liverpool averaged 63.8% possession and 628.7 passes. So far, Slot’s Liverpool have averaged 60.2% and 571.4 passes, which was quite a surprise to me.

Photo: IMAGO

However, Slot has managed to change is how effective Liverpool are when they do have the ball. This season, the Reds have averaged four big chances per game along with an average of just 15.2 shots per game. Under Klopp, Liverpool were creating 3.28 big chances per game but averaging 23 shots per game – a considerable increase on Slot’s numbers.

But this isn’t actually a bad thing. This proves that Slot has his side playing patiently and waiting for better shooting positions before pulling the trigger, rather than relying on individual brilliance like we saw with Szoboszlai and Mac Allister at numerous points last season.

Now, Slot just needs his forward players to really start taking their chances. With 13 goals scored in the opening seven Premier League games, they can afford that output with the defence being as strong as it has been. However, should this defensive strength weaken as it likely will, the pressure on the likes of Darwin Nunez, Mo Salah and Diogo Jota will increase.

Photo: IMAGO

Looking Ahead

Despite all of these underlying numbers and changes in tactics, the most important metric to judge is that Liverpool have won nine of their first ten games across all competitions. Currently sitting top of the Premier League and with a 100% record in the Champions League so far, it’s fair to say that Slot’s reign has had a very impressive and encouraging start.

Following the international break, the Reds face a long run of very tricky fixtures. One thing that Klopp was always really good at was getting points from these big games, so it’ll be interesting to see how Slot fares against the bigger tests. It’s certainly exciting times for Liverpool supporters at the moment.