Liverpool's Anfield redemption: how did they do it?

Arne Slot's 'coolness' and standout player performances guide Reds to record-equalling 20th league title

Liverpool's 24/25 Premier League winning side and staff
Liverpool players and staff had reason to celebrate as they clinched the Premier League title at Anfield with four games left to play
(Image credit: Andrew Powell / Liverpool FC / Getty Images)

"Move over Sir Alex," said Anfield great Jamie Carragher in The Telegraph, there's now "no denying Liverpool are England's greatest club".

With Arne Slot's Reds clinching a record-equalling 20th title in the Dutch manager's first season at Anfield, Liverpool now sit alongside long-time rivals Manchester United as England's most prolific league winners.

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'Seamless fit'

This season belongs to Slot, whose "educationist approach" to coaching was a stark contrast to his charismatic predecessor Jürgen Klopp, said The Guardian.

Slot put the emphasis on reflection and analysis, and often sparked "immediate and vast improvements in the second half" of matches. Even in losses – there have only been two in the Premier League so far – Slot is "level-headed and refreshingly honest", bringing "coolness" to the squad. This, paired with his "analytical mind", said The Independent, provided the "seamless fit" Liverpool were looking for.

What's more, Slot was able to win the league title "without a single major signing". Building on the success of Klopp, the coach deployed "clever tactical tweaks" to enhance the squad he inherited. Training sessions were rescheduled with an "earlier reporting time of 9.15am", with "compulsory" pre-session team breakfasts, said Sky News. Slot "bedded in his beliefs" from the moment he took the reins.

'Collegiate approach'

Of course, the players themselves have also been instrumental, said The Times, displaying a "collegiate approach which cannot be underplayed".

Mohamed Salah, already a prolific goalscorer, has "scaled new heights" this season, standing out with "preparation, professionalism and performance". And it is Slot's individual training sessions that seem to have drastically "reinvigorated" the player.

Alongside him, captain Virgil Van Dijk enjoyed a "renaissance season", said Caught Offside. After a "dip in form" in recent seasons, Slot's coaching appears to have returned the centre-back to his "dominant best".

But it was the team's midfield that truly "surprised this season", with players such as Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister providing an "energetic, technically gifted engine room" to ensure Liverpool's success.

With the league title sewn up, Liverpool's focus is now on new player recruitment as they hope to "go into overdrive this summer", said BBC Sport. The ultimate aim? Add yet "more power to a title-winning side".

Rebekah Evans joined The Week as newsletter editor in 2023 and has written on subjects ranging from Ukraine and Afghanistan to fast fashion and "brotox". She started her career at Reach plc, where she cut her teeth on news, before pivoting into personal finance at the height of the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis. Social affairs is another of her passions, and she has interviewed people from across the world and from all walks of life. Rebekah completed an NCTJ with the Press Association and has written for publications including The Guardian, The Week magazine, the Press Association and local newspapers.