What does success look like next season for Slot? | OneFootball

After exiting two competitions in the space of five days and with the Premier League title race looking increasingly like a precession, thoughts are already turning to what should be expected of Arne Slot and Liverpool next season.

In the Champions League last 16, the Reds bumped up against a Paris Saint-Germain side who – after more than a decade of falling short of expectations in Europe – finally look the sum of their extremely expensive parts.

It was a tight two-legged encounter that could have gone either way. In the end, Liverpool came up narrowly short.

Sunday’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Newcastle United was less fiercely contrasted. At least on Liverpool’s part.

It was evidence of the Reds’ inertia at Wembley Stadium that Newcastle won 68 per cent of the game’s aerial duels as the Magpies secured a 2-1 victory and their first major trophy for 70 years.

Liverpool’s failure to rouse themselves to properly compete in the final was perhaps a symptom of a league campaign that, in all honesty, has seen them encounter little resistance.

As the expert sportsbook reviews at FIRST.com show, it would take a minor miracle for Liverpool not to claim a record-equalling 20th top-flight title this term.

Slot’s side have been a triumph of consistency, beaten just once in the Premier League this season and holding a commanding 12-point lead over second-placed Arsenal with just nine fixtures remaining.

Their underlying statistics show that their title waltz has been no fluke, too. They top the table for expected goals (xG) with 72.9, more than 13 xG better than the next best total, which belongs to Bournemouth (59.42). And in terms of expected points, Liverpool’s lead is commanding, too – 66.22 to Arsenal’s 58.21.

The disappointment of last week’s double cup eliminations – along with the shock FA Cup fourth-round exit to Championship strugglers Plymouth – should not distract from what has been an extraordinary maiden campaign in England for Slot.

As fans and pundits project ahead to the 2025-26 season and expectations are set for Slot and his men, it would be easy to argue that anything short of a title repeat and success in at least one other tournament is the minimum bar to clear.

But the true target should be sustainability. After seven years of Jurgen Klopp’s charismatic leadership, few expected that Slot would come in and not only steady the ship but guide the Reds to a title triumph. What he has achieved this season deserves comparison with the great debut campaigns of any manager in any league.

This coming summer stands to be one of change for Liverpool. After making just one first-team signing last year – in the seldom-used Federico Chiesa – Slot will want to stock his squad with hand-selected players to further deliver on his Anfield vision.

Plus, there remains uncertainty over the futures of Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, three pillars of the current campaign’s success who are all set to be free agents at the end of the season.

Elsewhere, Arsenal will surely seek a striker in the transfer market to fill an obvious void in Mikel Arteta’s ranks, and Manchester City will be stronger after a limp title defence.

Perhaps the defeats to PSG and Newcastle will have dealt the manager a valuable lesson in the physicality required to compete on multiple fronts. Alongside the importance of pacing throughout a season that will power Liverpool to further silverware next term.

Patience was preached when Slot was appointed as Klopp’s successor. It turned out the Dutchman didn’t need it.

But giddiness over Liverpool’s Premier League supremacy should not breed a thirst for too much more too soon. The Slot era is already ahead of schedule. Holding steady and sternly defending their well-won title will be progress in itself.