Gary Neville has hailed Arne Slot’s debut season at Liverpool as one of many “best coaching performances we’ve seen” in Premier League historical past, with the Dutchman on the verge of lifting the title on the first time of asking.
Liverpool had been third favourites to win the division initially of the season, behind final season’s prime two of Manchester Metropolis and Arsenal at odds-on.
However following a staggering run of 26 unbeaten video games and solely two defeats all season, the Reds are actually some extent away from being topped Premier League champions and can safe their second title with a draw towards Tottenham this Sunday, reside on Sky Sports activities.
In addition to the velocity of Slot’s adaption to working at one of many largest golf equipment on the earth, Neville paid explicit tribute to his potential to transition out of the shadows of the Jurgen Klopp dynasty with such ease.
“I think he’s done an absolutely brilliant job, honestly,” he stated on the Gary Neville Podcast. “I believe that initially of the season – none of us can rewrite historical past – there weren’t many Liverpool followers who thought they might win the league, not to mention anyone else.
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“I do not bear in mind any pundit or analyst or journalist or fan actually saying Liverpool will win the league. It was Manchester Metropolis or Arsenal. So to do what they’ve accomplished may be very particular.
“Over a season, the teaching efficiency of Arne Slot is likely one of the finest we have seen.
“And I say that in mild of whom he took over from. One of many biggest personalities and characters we have seen within the Premier League, a Liverpool icon and legend. Going into that dressing room and having to determine management and authority, however realizing he most likely might by no means do it the identical manner as Jurgen Klopp.
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Gary Neville congratulated Arne Slot and Liverpool on an excellent season with the Reds closing on on the Premier League title and assessed how sturdy they are going to be subsequent marketing campaign
“No one can be the same personality and character as he was. But the way in which all season he’s coped with the conversations around the contracts, he’s dealt with those conversations. They’ve then signed two, I think the most important two of those players, Van Dijk and Salah, in the last couple of weeks.
“It is also the best way during which he is saved calm and composed at factors the place perhaps it isn’t gone as effectively for them as he would have wished.”
Central to Slot’s success at Anfield has been the form of star forward Mo Salah, whose performances had been called into question last season amid what appeared a public falling-out with Klopp on the touchline at West Ham in one of the former coach’s final games in charge.
However, since the start of the season, the Egypt international has taken his game to new levels at the age of 32 – already breaking the all-time Premier League goal involvement record from a 38-game season, with five matches of this campaign left to play. The 2024/25 Golden Boot is also almost certain to be heading to his personal trophy cabinet.
Neville explained the adaptation he had seen from the forward, saying: “Salah has gone from being somebody who made lovely, good runs in between full-back and centre-back, like Mane used to, however he used to make them from that right-hand facet.
“He’s now playing very differently, where he’s sort of not really pressing anymore. Not that he was ever amazing at pressing, but he sort of like floats forward when Liverpool are defending into that sort of split-striker position. The ball gets played over his head.
“They’ve form of give you a manner of accommodating him to get the very best out of him. He was a continuing menace towards Leicester.
“Slot had to get the very best again out of Salah and make him feel so comfortable. And people say, well okay, they’re great players, they’re world-class players. Of course they are.
“However nonetheless, they are often upset and delay fairly rapidly if they don’t seem to be with the best sort of supervisor, some of these gamers. They’re troublesome to handle if they don’t seem to be with the best sort of persona.”
Perhaps Slot’s greatest individual achievement has been the transformation in Ryan Gravenberch, who has become the No 6 the Reds were crying out for following the decline and departure of Fabinho, and subsequent failure to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in the summer.
Ryan Gravenberch has stepped his sport up forward of Liverpool’s title triumph
“The players who I would class as being six out of 10 players, he’s made them seven out of 10,” added Neville. “That’s the most impressive thing for me. And the players who were maybe six and a half, seven out of 10, he’s made eight out of 10.
“The likes of Gravenberch and Gakpo, who perhaps you thought, ‘are they actual prime Liverpool gamers?’ And now you take a look at them, you see Gravenberch towards Leicester within the final sport. I gave Mac Allister the person of the match, however Gravenberch might simply have been man of the match. He is been incredible.”
Liverpool look set to win the league at a canter, barring an unprecedented collapse in the final weeks of the season – and should have things wrapped up on Sunday when they host Tottenham live on Sky Sports.
The Reds’ achievements have been criticised at times for a lack of real competition to their title push, with nearest-chasers Arsenal more than 10 points behind for several weeks of the run-in.
“They are not going to get pushed on the finish, however that is not their drawback,” Neville said. “That is the issue of the others. It is the issue of Metropolis.
“It’s the problem of Arsenal. It’s the problem of Chelsea and Villa, Newcastle, Tottenham, Manchester United, all the clubs who spend big money who would like to think that they’d be up there.
“Liverpool now have recruited very effectively for a variety of years, however I did assume initially of the season, I believe I had them fifth.
“I thought there would be just a natural fall, as there sometimes is when a Wenger leaves or a Sir Alex Ferguson leaves. There just is a natural drop. So that’s why I think the manager and coach deserves enormous credit.”
