In Manchester City, they have a rule 24 hours after each match: Do not make any important decisions. They even have an expression of it, according to the website ESPN: “Put their heads in the fridge”. The idea is to calm down when the emotions take over, because you no longer think clearly. This season it is Liverpool who kept their heads cold. The sporting management has directed league title number 20 by making decisions that are rational, calculated and thoughtful. Although it has meant to go against the fans’ wishes. The computer says Slot Liverpool mastered this even before the season began. When Jürgen Klopp said in January last year that he was going to give up, most Xabi Alonso wanted. Liverpool could have thrown money after the Basque, which is a God at Anfield. But when Alonso said he would remain in Leverkusen, they looked at the next alternative, without a touch of sentimentality. Legend: Few thought Liverpool would be able to replace Jürgen Klopp. Photo: Phil Noble / Reuters / NTB They could have given the job to Pep Lijnders, who was Klopp’s assistant (and who was kicked by Salzburg in December). They could have gone for Ruben Amorim, who accomplished small miracles in Sporting, or Roberto de Zerbi, who had done an excellent job with Brighton. But Liverpool cares more about statistics than what the rumor exchange says. The boss there is Michael Edwards, an analyst behind the purchases of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk before leaving Anfield in 2022, and who returned as football manager last summer. Under Edwards, Liverpool uses numbers and formulas to make better choices. They examined the database for coaches, including these criteria: Clear playing style development of individual players The ability to avoid injury they never listened to whom people thought they should pick up. As the website The Athletic reported: – The focus was on making the right choice, and not necessarily the most popular. The statistics showed that one coach was clearly the best. When Liverpool picked up Arne Slot, many asked, “Who is it?” UNEXED: Arne Slot was not among the favorites for the job when Klopp said he was leaving Anfield. Photo: Peter Powell / Reuters / NTB A quick search showed that slot had only won two titles, both with Feyenoord. He had zero experience outside the Netherlands. He had never won a European cup. He was definitely not close to what Klopp had accomplished before coming to Anfield in 2015. Money saved with a slot in place, Liverpool would shop so play players. They didn’t buy anyone. The team that came in third place last year, all of whom needed reinforcements, just picked up the injured tip Federico Chiesa on cheap sales, plus keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who was borrowed straight to Valencia. Chiesa has played 33 minutes in the league. The fact that Liverpool changed zero and nothing is unheard of when fans and press shout for signings. Things are going to happen. Bid must enter. The money is going out of the bank and into the stable. As the start of the season approached, the website Goal wrote a headline that reflected the mood: “What happens in Liverpool?!” INJURY: The signing Federico Chiesa has hardly played in the league. Here in the FA Cup against Plymouth. Photo: David Klein / Reuters / NTB parts of Liverpool’s fans have protested against the owners, the Fenway Sports Group, which they think does not spend enough money on the team. Most fans want to see their team buy new players. But it was wise to sit quietly in the boat. Edwards knew the stable was strong. The year before, Liverpool had picked up four central midfielders. When they missed the Spanish playmaker Martín Zubimendi, they picked up no half -good plan B. The retrained Ryan Gravenberch as midfielder, and were rewarded with one of the season’s revelations. In one way, they can say that they have won the league title by disappointing the fans. You can save a lot of money by doing everything else right. No revolution also tactically, Liverpool has accomplished a lot by doing little. The tempting for a new coach is to roll into the club with promises of changes, principles and “philosophies”. It does well for the ego to know that it is your ideas that create success. Slot has gone the opposite way. He has praised the work of Klopp, slowed down the pace a bit in the attack, and left what worked, as it was. In fact, Slot has made a point out of how little he has changed. Reason to celebrate: Arne Slot has built on Jürgen Klopp’s work. Photo: Paul Ellis / AFP / NTB Slot has not “revolutionized English football” as Pep Guardiola. He has not tied himself to one particular formation, such as Ruben Amorim in Manchester United with 3-4-3. Part of the reason Edwards & co wanted him was that Feyenoord played in a similar way that Liverpool did during Klopp. The man who some thought would be eaten alive by the Premier League looks like he has hardly done anything but winning English league titles. Almost perfectly in the contract negotiations, Liverpool have remained calm. When Salah said in September that he had started his last season at Anfield, it was easy to panic. The team’s top scorer was on an outgoing contract and could leave the club next summer – free. Every week Salah scored. It seemed obvious to give him a new deal. The fans made a banner who asked the directors to give Salah the money he deserved. Invitation: In November, the Liverpool fans asked the directors to give Salah the money he deserves. Photo: Molly Darlington / Reuters / NTB But Liverpool waited and waited, perhaps partly because they knew there were limits on how many places Salah could get higher wages, especially if he wanted to stay in Europe. Two weeks ago, Liverpool secured Salah’s signature. They have the same with Virgil van Dijk, who was in the same situation. Only trained Alexander-Arnold seems to go free, an unusual defeat for Edwards. But overall, the director of Edwards has approached perfection. Mastered the calendar and then Liverpool can ignore the critics who say they win because the rivals have been bad. Liverpool stands with more points per game than Manchester City and Arsenal had just as many matches last year. And while the two rivals have been severely affected by injuries, it is not just luck that determines which teams have the most players available. Liverpool wanted a coach who was good at avoiding injuries, and although they have received some slammers themselves, they have avoided the big crises. In Feyenoord, slot kept more than 90 % of players injury -free during their three seasons there, indicating that he rotates the team correctly and protects players from overload. This means a lot at a time when the calendar is stuffed to the brim. Again, Liverpool studied the statistics and got paid. Inspired by himself now, Liverpool has just as many titles in the English top division as Manchester United (20). And with a sporting leadership that is stronger than ever. They share the ability to stand in the storm with several large teams. Stay at Anfield: Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah. Photo: Andrew Boyers / Reuters / NTB City put his head in the fridge when it blew around Pep Guardiola in 2016/17. Arsenal supported Mikel Arteta in the fall of 2021, when they lost the first three league matches for the season and several thought he should be thrown to the door. In fact, Liverpool may have drawn inspiration from himself. In the summer of 2019, they only picked up the reserve keeper Adrián, and then they won the league for the first time in 30 years. Because of the pandemic, they could not celebrate together. They can now. And nothing is more popular than that. Published 27.04.2025, at. 19.24
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