Comparing Liverpool’s Title Squads Under Slot and Klopp | OneFootball

Slot v Klopp: Comparing Liverpool’s Title-Winning Squads

When Arne Slot walked through the door at Liverpool, the questions were loud and relentless. How could a relatively unknown manager from the Eredivisie replace Jurgen Klopp, the man who had built a dynasty on Merseyside?

Photo: IMAGO

Well, those fears have been buried deep under a pile of joyous celebrations. In his first season, Slot delivered what matters most — Liverpool back on top of English football.

Comparing Slot’s Liverpool to Klopp’s all-conquering side of 2019/20 isn’t easy. Different times, different pressures, but the aim remains the same: win. And Liverpool, once again, have done just that.

Squad Depth Lays Foundations for Title Charge

You don’t win titles without strength in depth, and Liverpool’s two great squads are no different.Back in 2019/20, Klopp’s side were lean, mean and devastating. This season, Slot’s squad has been deeper, broader, more technical.

Eight players who featured in Klopp’s title-winning season are still at the heart of things — Alisson, Van Dijk, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold and Salah among them. That core is crucial. But around them, there’s been a quiet revolution.

Photo: IMAGO

Gone are Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, legends of the old guard. In their place stand Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Federico Chiesa. Different players, different styles, but a front line still capable of tearing teams apart.

Midfield has evolved even more. The days of Henderson and Milner grafting through games are gone. Now it’s Mac Allister, Gravenberch and Szoboszlai running the show.Liverpool’s midfield is certainly more talented in 2024/25, stacked with technicians as opposed to workhorses.

Defensively, little has changed, except Ibrahima Konaté stepping into Joel Matip’s shoes. The backbone remains familiar and formidable.

Slot’s Liverpool might not be as physically dominant, but they’ve got weapons all over the pitch. A more versatile, dangerous squad than five years ago? Absolutely.

Style of Play: From Heavy Metal to Symphony

Klopp’s Liverpool were a storm you couldn’t escape. The press was brutal, the energy was ferocious, and mistakes from the opposition were inevitable. “They smothered their opponents,” and very few survived 90 minutes at Anfield unscathed.

Slot’s Liverpool play a different tune. The intensity remains, but the chaos is replaced by control. Possession is prized. Opponents are suffocated not with wild pressure but with passing triangles and positional dominance.

It’s no accident. Slot is a known admirer of Pep Guardiola, and you can see it. Liverpool now set traps with the ball, not just with the press.“They rarely blitz their opponents in quite the same manner but they are still capable of strangling them, albeit with possession and order rather than pure explosivity.”

Both styles have been ruthlessly effective. Different methods, same outcome — Liverpool, at the top.

Key Players Continue to Deliver

The heroes of 2019/20 are still around, still producing moments that matter. Alisson continues to defy logic with saves that turn matches.Van Dijk, even after all the miles, is still the colossus at the heart of defence.Alexander-Arnold remains a magician with the ball at his feet.

Photo: IMAGO

And then there’s Salah.

In 2019/20, he was brilliant. In 2024/25, he’s been untouchable. “The Egyptian has toppled countless records while producing figures which dwarf his 29 goal contributions during Liverpool’s first title win.”

Salah hasn’t just contributed. He’s dragged Liverpool across the line when it mattered most.

Photo: IMAGO

The old trio — Salah, Mane, Firmino — shared the burden back then. Now, Salah carries it alone. Mane and Firmino offered 42 goal contributions in 2019/20; now Salah is doing the work of three.

Slot’s midfield of Gravenberch and Mac Allister offers silk and invention, but less natural protection for the back four compared to Henderson, Fabinho and Wijnaldum. That’s a gamble Slot has accepted — and it’s paid off.

Strength of Opposition Shapes the Journey

Every title race has its context. In 2019/20, Klopp’s Liverpool blasted past a Manchester City side running on fumes. Eighteen points clear, finished by Christmas.

Photo: IMAGO

Slot’s Liverpool had a different path.City wobbled again, but Arsenal pushed longer and harder this time. The Gunners never really got close, but they kept Liverpool honest.

Photo: IMAGO

Arsenal have been a constant presence in the back of their minds. It wasn’t a procession like five years ago. Liverpool had to fight, stay sharp, keep winning.

City’s relative weakness helped, no doubt. But as ever, you can only beat what’s in front of you — and Liverpool did, time after time.

Results Show Liverpool’s Different Journeys

Klopp’s Liverpool in 2019/20 were relentless. Ninety-nine points. Twenty-six wins from the first twenty-seven games. Two defeats after the title was already secured.

Slot’s Liverpool, brilliant as they have been, haven’t quite matched that dominance. Even if they win out, they’ll hit 94 points — outstanding, but not historic.

The difference? Margins. Klopp’s team crushed everything. Slot’s side have controlled matches without running up the same gaudy numbers.

Does it matter? Not a bit.“It’s not how you win the title but the winning it that matters.”

Slot’s Liverpool had something Klopp’s didn’t: fans in the stands, roaring every step of the way. The memories made this season will last a lifetime.

Klopp Built It, Slot Rebuilt It — Liverpool Are Kings Again

You don’t replace a figure like Jurgen Klopp. You respect what he built and find a way to write your own story. That’s exactly what Arne Slot has done.

He took Klopp’s Squad, honoured their spirit, and moulded them into something new.Salah’s brilliance, Van Dijk’s resilience, Alisson’s miracles — the old guard are still there.But Slot’s fingerprints are everywhere now: the control, the tactics, the composure.

Two eras, two titles, one club still at the top.

Liverpool are champions again. And under Slot, they’re not finished yet.