CENTRAL to future success

MIDFIELD REBUILD OF KLOPP’S LAST SEASON STILL HOLDING STRONG IN FACE OF SLOT’S CURRENT SLUMP

- By PAUL GORST

N the rush to dismiss Arne Slot and rewrite the history of last season’s Premier League title win in his first year as Liverpool boss, it has been argued he simply inherited ‘Jurgen Klopp’s team!

A run of seven defeats in 10 has seen many confidently state that Slot was only able to canter to the title at the first time of asking by 10 points and four games to spare because of the squad bequeathed to him by his predecessor.

Slot himself was the first to acknowledge the healthy state of affairs he walked into in the summer of 2024 and the fact that only Federico Chiesa was signed was indicative of a coach who was firm in his belief that he had a world-class group of players to choose from.

Ignoring the tactical tweaks and individual improvements of certain players under Slot’s guidance, however, does a huge disservice to the Dutchman and his staff en route to the club’s 20th title.

There is, though, a kernel of truth in the idea that some of the seeds were sown by Klopp and his staff in his final year. That idea is particularly prevalent in the midfield rebuild of 2023.

That summer, Liverpool embarked on a costly renovation of their engine room, adding Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch to their ranks alongside Wataru Endo, whose £16m capture from Stuttgart in August of that year was something of a left-field transfer.