Arne Slot has done what no other Premier League Liverpool manager has done in first six games
Arne Slot’s start as Liverpool manager is far better than both Jurgen Klopp's and Brendan Rodgers'. The Reds went top of the Premier League with a 2-1 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux yesterday evening with a Mohamed Salah penalty proving decisive in the Black Country.
Liverpool would have had a perfect start to life under Slot if it were not for a shock 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Anfield on September 14.
Although Slot is not getting carried away. After Saturday's victory, he said: “It's almost ideal that we played Wolves today because we are top and they're last and they absolutely don't deserve to be last. They had a very difficult fixture list and I've seen many games of them and in almost every game they deserve more.
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"You could even argue [that] today because it wasn't like we were so much better than them. They were in the game [and] doing a lot of good things. If they keep doing this against other teams as well they will never end up No.20 [in the league]."
He added: "We still have to prove that when we come across Arsenal, Newcastle, Chelsea [and] Aston Villa [to see] if we can then still be up there with Champions League games included as well.”
Of course, with the knowledge of previous seasons and the seeming inevitability of Manchester City it is easy to see why the Dutchman is not getting too excited just yet. However, the statistics look promising. When compared to the last two Liverpool managers' - Rodgers and Klopp - first six league fixtures, his points return (15) is far superior.
As for Rodgers, life as Liverpool manager started with a 3-0 defeat against West Bromwich Albion. Draws with Sunderland and Manchester City added to losses against Arsenal and Manchester United saw him in a precarious situation. However, a 5-2 win against Norwich City in his sixth league game saw him capture his first Premier League win. Rodgers saw his side earn just five points from his first league games.
Klopp’s record after six Premier League matches was better than Rodgers’ but inferior to Slot’s. After six league games, the German saw his team pick up 11 points with impressive wins at Man City (1-4) and Chelsea (1-3) kickstarting Klopp’s success at Anfield.