Arne Slot’s critics in the Liverpool fanbase may suggest he shouldn’t bring up this club landmark, but history indicates not doing so would have been a greater surprise. The Dutchman reaches a century of games in charge of the Reds. Only three of his supposedly permanent predecessors did not, and even then, one of them, Kenny Dalglish, had already done so in his first spell at the helm. It leaves only Roy Hodgson and the long-forgotten secretary-manager George Patterson, who did not enter the hundred club.
Dalglish has a particular pertinence to Slot now. The Scot’s second stint ended soon after an FA Cup final, which has the potential to offer a parallel. But so far, Dalglish holds the record for most wins in the first 100, with 62. Should Slot beat Galatasaray in Istanbul, he will displace the club legend from the top of that particular table.
All of which could be used as a retort to his doubters. Slot’s impressive win percentage is admittedly built on a spectacular start: he was victorious in 18 of his first 20 matches. His win rate since then – 55.6 percent – is very similar to the overall record of a Liverpool manager who famously triumphed in Istanbul, in Rafa Benitez.
In his last 36 outings, it drops to 50 percent, the figure Brendan Rodgers finished with, just below David Ashworth, who won a league title but – in a move Slot is unlikely to emulate – walked out to take over at Oldham instead.
The second of those 36 games, and the second of a sequence of nine defeats in 12, was at Rams Park, to Galatasaray. A swift rematch comes laced with peril, as Juventus can testify, but could be framed as a reward. For months, Slot remained aggrieved that, having topped the Champions League standings last year, the format meant Liverpool faced Paris Saint-Germain. Now, a side that came third this year meet one that were 20th and are, in theory anyway, the second-lowest side to make it to the last 16.
This time, too, Slot’s side have the insurance of a second leg at Anfield. They do not actually need to come back from Istanbul with an advantage; unlike Juventus, they have to ensure they do not concede four goals in a half and put themselves on the brink of elimination.
In most respects, Slot’s sophomore season at Anfield is far inferior to his debut campaign. But Liverpool have gone further in the FA Cup and could do so in the Champions League. A special status is bestowed at Anfield upon those to have won it, and if Liverpool, their lofty position in the initial phase notwithstanding, have rarely looked potential European champions this season, their scalps nevertheless include Atletico and Real Madrid, plus Inter Milan.
Slot has actually won 77.7 percent of his Champions League ties as Liverpool manager; if he can sustain that figure over several seasons, it would seem success is guaranteed. Yet some of Slot’s impressive numbers reflect on his inheritance from Jurgen Klopp, who steered Liverpool to three Champions League finals. That initial flurry of wins came with a side built by Klopp.
This is a different team now. Confirmation arrived on Saturday as Ryan Gravenberch signed a new six-year contract. The midfielder was bought by Klopp but turned into the fulcrum of the team by Slot. Gravenberch was one of his flagship triumphs.
Another is Dominik Szoboszlai, also bought in Klopp’s final summer of 2023, who displayed plenty of promise under the German. Now the Hungarian could become the first Liverpool player to score or assist in seven consecutive Champions League games; it would be all the more remarkable if he did it from right-back.
Gravenberch’s deal and the initial talks with Szoboszlai about an extension are proof that the future is taking shape. At some cost, too, given that Liverpool had the highest wage bill in the Premier League last season, at £428m, and then committed around £450m to signings who may in turn raise the amount spent on salaries.
It is a reason why more was expected this season, why some of the assessments of Slot have been unflattering. The as-yet-unanswered question is whether he can turn this expensively assembled, highly-paid group into an outfit as formidable as some of their predecessors.
There may be an irony, though, that it was an otherwise undistinguished Liverpool team that earned their most celebrated victory in Istanbul. Benitez’s class of 2005 finished fifth in the Premier League, as Slot’s side may do now.
Liverpool do not need a miracle on the banks of the Bosphorus this time. But they could do with the kind of result that means Slot can anticipate his attempt to become the 13th manager to take charge of 200 Liverpool games includes his first Champions League quarter-final.
