Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has defied pre-season expectations by delivering the Premier League title in his first year in England – but the omens are not exactly positive in terms of the future.
The Dutchman succeeded Jurgen Klopp last summer, bringing to a close an illustrious era in Anfield history as he ushered in a new chapter on Merseyside. However, the former Feyenoord man has already matched his predecessor in terms of winning the English top flight crown.
Despite following in the footsteps of fellow club legends including Kenny Dalglish, Bob Paisley and Bill Shankly in clinching the championship, the future may not be as rosy as the present for Slot if recent history is anything to go by. That is because the last four managers to have won the league in their first seasons have all been fired within three seasons.
The first example of this odd coincidence is that of Jose Mourinho, who won his first Premier League title in the 2004-05 season with his maiden campaign in charge at Chelsea. Led by John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, their championship win did not save the Portuguese from being fired a couple of years later – as Roman Abramovich showed him the door just weeks into the 2006-07 campaign.
Following on from this, the Blues’ former owner was on hand again with a shock firing after Carlo Ancelotti delivered the title in the 2008-09 season after joining in the previous summer. Despite wrestling the crown from a Manchester United side which won the Champions League during the previous season, the Italian was fired after finishing second in the following campaign.
After this, the next league-winning manager to be fired after delivering the title at the first time of asking was Manuel Pellegrini, who denied Liverpool the title during the 2013-14 campaign. The Chilean boss staved off the challenge of Steven Gerrard‘s Reds that year – but he was eventually replaced by Pep Guardiola in 2016.
It may come as seldom surprise that Abramovich wielded the axe once more after Antonio Conte won the league in his first year at Stamford Bridge. The Italian lifted the title with his pioneering three-at-the-back formation, in what is Chelsea’s most recent title to date – but lasted only a season before his firing.
It remains to be seen whether Slot is fated to follow in the footsteps of the four other managers who clinched the Premier League title in their first season in charge of their respective clubs. Either way, the Dutchman appears intent on blocking out the noise for now, having said: “I enjoyed it a lot when Feyenoord won the title – but I don’t go crazy.
“It wasn’t like I ran three times around the stadium. I was just very, very happy inside and I shared my emotions with the people around me and the fans. But I will never be the one who is the loudest nor the weirdest in the moment. I’m not like that.”
As for celebrating his success, the humble hero added: “It is for other people to judge. It would be a bit weird to judge myself, but I can judge the performance for my staff and the medical staff – and they should get a lot of credit over the course of the season. If you start to work here, then quite quickly you get a certain feeling. I feel part of it.”
