By common consensus, Arne Slot is doing a stellar job as Liverpool head coach so far.
Far from being overawed by the challenge of following in Jurgen Klopp’s footsteps, the 46-year-old has very much embraced it, guiding the Reds to the top of the Premier League and Champions League standings and into yet another Carabao Cup semi-final.
The Dutchman has now been in charge for 24 competitive matches and lost just one, the Anfield defeat to Nottingham Forest in mid-September.
Almost immediately after the final whistle against Southampton last night, Michael Reid – football data editor with OptaJoe – was all over one remarkable statistic which perfectly sums up how brilliantly Slot has done at Liverpool.
The ever-knowledgeable stats guru posted on X: “Liverpool have gone 20 games unbeaten within a single season in all competitions for the first time since March 1996.”
Liverpool have gone 20 games unbeaten within a single season in all competitions for the first time since March 1996. #LFC
— Michael Reid (@michael_reid11) December 18, 2024
It’s a statistic which’ll have many raising their eyebrows in surprise, not necessarily for the excellent job that Slot has done, but that not even the Klopp vintage of 2018/19 and 2019/20 achieved a 20-match unbeaten streak across all competitions in the same season.
Incredibly, Liverpool were defeated in only four Premier League games out of 76 over those two years, losing the same number of matches in their triumphant Champions League campaign under the German and three more the following term, along with another four in the domestic cups.
Since Roy Evans led the Reds to 20 consecutive games unbeaten in the 1995/96 season, six other permanent managers have come and gone at Anfield before the incumbent Dutchman took the reins and achieved that feat after just 24 matches in charge.
The run under Slot encompasses 11 Premier League matches, six in the Champions League and three in the Carabao Cup, with 17 of those 20 ending in victory and only three draws.
Such statistical records are great to have, but the Liverpool boss knows well that they’re insignificant unless they lead to something tangible, hence his burning desire to retain the trophy that Klopp won last term and add plenty more thereafter.
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