How Arne Slot's first seven months as Liverpool head coach compare to Jurgen Klopp's

01/01/2025 04:00 AM

Arne Slot has spent seven months in charge of Liverpool, but how does the first half of his first season as the Reds' head coach compare to Jurgen Klopp's start at Anfield?

Life as Liverpool knew it was turned on its head back in January when Klopp announced that he would resign as the Reds' manager following the 2023/24 season. The German still had a contract through the 2025/26 campaign, but Klopp felt too worn out to remain at Liverpool.

Liverpool bided their time before appointing Klopp's replacement as the Anfield side studied potential candidates. In the end, the Merseyside outfit decided in May to appoint Slot as the latest head coach of Liverpool – with the Dutchman starting his tenure effective as of June 1.

Slot had only ever coached in his native Netherlands before replacing Klopp, who arrived at Liverpool in October 2015 to replace Brendan Rodgers having previously worked exclusively in his native country. But Slot has so far not made Liverpool regret their decision to hire him.

So, with that in mind, Rousing The Kop takes a look at how Slot's record during the first half of his first season in charge of Liverpool compares to what Klopp achieved after taking over.

Arne Slot's record as Liverpool's head coach after seven months

After working over the festive period for the first time in the 46-year-old's coaching career in 2024, Slot has overseen 27 games as Liverpool's head coach since replacing Klopp. Through those matches, the Dutchman has also claimed 23 wins, three draws and lost just one game.

Liverpool have also scored 68 goals with Slot in charge, while his squads have also proven to be excellent defensively with just 22 conceded across all competitions. Their record with the Bergentheim native overseeing the action gives Liverpool a goal difference of +46 goals, too.

As Klopp replaced Rodgers as the manager of Liverpool with the Reds already 11 games into the campaign, it is impossible to draw a truly direct comparison between the German's start and what Slot has enjoyed. But over Klopp's first 27 fixtures in charge, Liverpool won just 12.

The Anfield outfit also accepted nine draws – including in each of Klopp's first three matches at the helm – and succumbed to six defeats. Liverpool even scored 39 goals to 28 shipped, giving Klopp's Reds sides a goal difference of +11 goals across the German's first 27 fixtures.

Arne Slot's first 18 Premier League games at Liverpool compared to Jurgen Klopp's

During Slot's start to life as the head coach of Liverpool, rather than as the Reds' manager as Klopp was, the Dutchman has overseen 18 Premier League fixtures. Of those, Liverpool have secured 14 wins under Slot, compared to Klopp securing seven wins from his first 18 games.

Slot has further seen Liverpool accept three draws and just one defeat in the Premier League since adopting Klopp's seat in the dugout, whereas the German accepted five draws and lost six games after replacing Rodgers. Klopp's defeats also included losing 3-0 away at Watford.

Manchester United also beat Klopp's Liverpool side 1-0 at Anfield during his first 18 matches at the Reds' helm. While Nottingham Forest handed Slot his first defeat as the head coach of Liverpool with a shock 1-0 victory at Anfield, the Reds were often unbreakable on home soil.

Who did Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot sign in their first transfer windows at Liverpool?

Klopp replacing Rodgers in October 2015 and Slot taking over Liverpool in June 2024 further means the two tacticians' first transfer window at Anfield is not a true comparison, with the former's first market being the winter sales and the latter's first market being in the summer.

Slot also largely kept the squad Klopp walked away from with the Dutchman only welcoming one new player for Liverpool's first-team squad over the summer 2024 transfer window. The Reds also signed Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia, but he remained in Spain for 2024/25.

READ MORE:All 47 of Jurgen Klopp's signings at Liverpool ranked from worst to best

The only new player Liverpool signed over the summer of 2024 under their sporting director Richard Hughes was Federico Chiesa, who was seldom available to Slot after struggling with fitness problems at the start of his Reds career having fallen out of favour whilst at Juventus.

Klopp was more hands-on with transfers during his tenure at Liverpool but did not make any wholesale alterations in his first window in charge. The Reds landed Marko Grujic for £5m as Klopp's first Liverpool signing before they also welcomed Steven Caulker to the club on loan.