At the start of the season, it was Arsenal, not Liverpool, who would have been most people’s answer to the question, “Who is likeliest to win the Premier League title if it isn’t going to be Manchester City?”.
Eight months or so later, though, it is the Reds who are closing in on becoming league champions. Arne Slot is going to get over the line in his debut season in England, taking advantage of Pep Guardiola’s men declining and Mikel Arteta’s side being unable to keep pace.
With little jeopardy at the top and bottom of the table, the final fixtures of the Premier League calendar will mainly be about sorting out who makes the European spots. There is plenty still to be determined there.
In the meantime, the BBC has conducted a study— taking into account only one weekend of Premier League action, the one just gone — which looked into where managers stand during games. Unsurprisingly, there was a big difference noted between Slot and Arteta.
At Goodison Park, as Arsenal drew 1-1 with Everton, Arteta didn’t spent a single minute in the dugout. He was mainly in his technical area but spent a considerable 40 per cent of the 90 minutes outside it and stood on the touchline.
In contrast, Slot was in his dugout for 11 per cent of Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat against Fulham. He was outside of the zone he is meant to be in for only nine per cent of the game.
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Again, this is only one weekend and the sample size is not large. However, it is fitting with what you would expect from what we have seen from both benches this season.
Slot has generally been calm and composed, with the explosion at referee Michael Oliver at Goodison Park — which led to his sending off and a subsequent two-match ban — very much an exception to the rule. Usually, he has been cool and level-headed.
Arteta, though, is much more animated. The Arsenal boss is considerably more present on the sidelines, frantically screaming instructions and making his presence known — often with set-piece coach Nicolas Jover not far behind him.
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Is that the reason for the difference in points between the sides? Clearly not. But Slot’s composed demeanor has been reflected by his team this season. Only against Brentford did Liverpool require late heroics from Darwin Nunez, with the Reds often in a winning position by the hour mark.
Liverpool’s controlled game — certainly a contrast compared to Jurgen Klopp’s era — has led to a sustainable title push. While the behaviour of the coaches on the sidelines doesn’t mean much, it is interesting that the manager with the more sanguine approach is the one who will be lifting the Premier League trophy aloft in May.
