When Arne Slot was appointed boss of Liverpool, replacing Jürgen Klopp, few could have anticipated what a flying start the Dutchman would have to his Anfield career. Many felt that a slump, or transitional period, was likely, given what an impact Klopp had had at Anfield. The thinking was that when a manager is such a big part of a club, over so many years, it is almost impossible for a new man to come in and the team to carry on performing at the same level.
Liverpool supporters had seen what had happened at Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson left, and at Arsenal when Arsène Wenger called it a day. Whilst some Reds remained optimistic, many felt that at best, a season or two of battling for a top-four finish would have to be endured before Slot’s reshaped squad could mount a serious title bid.
With the beautiful benefit of hindsight, it is very easy to see now why any negative thinking was wrong. First, it ignored the fact that Liverpool had once dominated English football over a period of two decades or more, despite a number of high-profile, iconic, club-altering managers coming and going. Second, and just as important, Klopp left the Reds in a far better state than Fergie left Man United, or Wenger did Arsenal.
When Fergie finally called it a day at Old Trafford he bowed out with a Premier League title but that was a masterly feat of man-management, combined with a little bit of luck. Most objective observers felt that the United squad David Moyes inherited was one of the worst the club had seen for a very long time. Equally, at Arsenal, Wenger stayed on for far too long and by the time he finally left the club they had not really challenged for the title for several years. So the poor showings in the seasons that followed were not really anything new, but rather a continuation of what had come before.
Even allowing for that, however, Slot really has done a brilliant job at the Reds. With more than a third of the season gone Liverpool are seven points clear at the top and nine in front of Man City. They have lost just a single game, and in addition are through to the quarter finals of the EFL Cup, as well as boasting a perfect record from five Champions League games to sit top of that pile as well.
Premier League Stats
Our focus in this article is the Premier League though, and with 35 points from 14 games, Liverpool have made a truly sensational start. How does that compare to the best starts they have made under Klopp and previous managers? Also, how does it compare to the best starts ever, by any side, in the Premier League?
Following their thrilling 3-3 draw with Newcastle the Reds have played 14, won 11, drawn two and been beaten just once. By some margin they have the meanest defence in the top flight, whilst only Chelsea have outscored them, meaning that overall they have the best goal difference in the division. 35 points means they are currently earning 2.5 points per game, which if averaged out to an entire campaign would leave them on an impressive 95 points.
Man City earned 100 points in 2017/18, whilst Liverpool themselves managed 99 in 2019/20. In between those campaigns, Pep Guardiola’s men won 98, with the Reds earning 97 that same season. No other side has won more than 95 points in a season (Chelsea got exactly that total in 2004/05), which puts Liverpool’s current form into perspective.
2019/20 Will Take Some Beating
In Liverpool’s brilliant title-winning 2019/20 campaign they got off to a start that set the tone for the season as they were almost perfect until spring! Amazingly they won 26 out of 27 games before suffering their first defeat, that not coming until the 29th of February. It is going to be a long, long time before any side matches or betters such a run, with Klopp’s troops dropping just two points from the first 81 available!
In that immense campaign, when they ended up winning the title by a whopping 18 points, they won 13 and drew one of their opening 14 fixtures. That gave them 40 points and meant they had amassed 2.86 points per game on average. Incredible stuff.
No other Liverpool boss has come close to such a start in the Premier League era but, in fact, Klopp himself oversaw a similarly incredible first 14 games the season before that. In the 2018/19 campaign, when Liverpool somehow managed to finish second in the league despite taking 97 points and losing just once, they actually had 36 points after the first 14 fixtures.
They won their first six games before consecutive draws against Chelsea and Man City. Two more wins followed, before a draw at Arsenal and then three more wins rounded out their opening 14 games, with just six points drops via three stalemates against strong opposition. They actually won nine in a row after that stalemate with the Gunners, so won 17 and drew three of their first 20 games, impressive stuff.
Strong Starts by Other Premier League Teams
The best start to a Premier League season ever, in terms of consecutive wins, came in 2005/06, when José Mourinho’s Chelsea won the first nine games of the campaign. They had won the title in 2004/05 with 95 points, and would defend it with 91 in the end. However, after 14 games they actually had 37 points, thanks to those nine wins, a draw in the 10th game against Everton, plus three more victories and a solitary defeat (against Man United in their 12th Premier League clash of the campaign).
Going back much further, Newcastle won their first six games in 1994/95. They went on to finish sixth but were top of the table after 14 games having suffered just one loss. At that stage, they had 33 points. However, unsurprisingly it is Guardiola’s Man City that boasts the joint-best start to a Premier League campaign, matching the 40 that Klopp oversaw. In the 2017/18 season, City drew their second fixture against Everton but those were the only points they dropped until drawing at Palace in the 21st match of the league.
Many other teams have made brilliant starts that match or come close to Slot’s Liverpool. However, for now at least, the record of 13 wins and a draw (40 points) achieved by both Klopp and Guardiola, remains the best record after 14 games.