How Liverpool Defied Expectations to Become Premier League Champions

Liverpool are champions. Today, this doesn’t seem so mind-blowing for a few reasons. First, even 15 rounds before the end of the season, it was more or less clear who would claim the title. The gap to Arsenal always remained comfortable. The London side lost Bukayo Saka right at the moment when they still had a real chance to mount a serious title challenge. Second, Liverpool’s season is also seen through the lens of their Champions League collapse. Arne Slot’s side were considered favorites, but then were deservedly knocked out by PSG. That result undoubtedly affects how Liverpool’s season is perceived overall.

And yet, it was a brilliant season, no matter what.

Let’s rewind to the summer of 2024. Jürgen Klopp, the architect of everything great that had happened to Liverpool in recent years, left the club. And then came Arne Slot — a man who had never worked outside of the Netherlands. His reputation was even more modest than Erik ten Hag’s when he arrived in the Premier League. At least Ten Hag had made some noise in Europe, reaching the Champions League semifinals with Ajax. But expectations for Slot were a complete mystery.

To make things worse, Liverpool had the weakest transfer window among all top European clubs. By mid-August, Liverpool were the only team among the top seven European leagues without a single new signing. They had tried to buy Martín Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, but the midfielder changed his mind at the last moment and stayed in Spain. In the end, Liverpool signed Federico Chiesa near the close of the transfer window — hardly a reinforcement. Predictably, the Italian played just 33 minutes in the Premier League all season. And from that same summer, the tension began to rise regarding expiring contracts of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah. Liverpool found themselves negotiating from a position of weakness.

Given all of this, even mentioning Liverpool as title contenders seemed laughable — let alone champions. It was widely expected that Manchester City and Arsenal would battle it out once again. Yet here we are: Liverpool secured the title already in April. How on earth was this possible?

As often happens, the answer is multifaceted. The problem of lacking a defensive midfielder solved itself. Ryan Gravenberch excelled in that role once his compatriot took charge. The club’s main star, Salah, delivered his best season yet. In fact, not just his best — Salah set a Premier League record for combined goals and assists, surpassing legends like Thierry Henry and Erling Haaland. On the opposite wing, Luis Díaz had a brilliant start to the season, and Cody Gakpo carried it forward after that. Even Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, who were already performing well, took their games to another level. Van Dijk remained not only the defensive anchor but also became the league’s best player for passes into the final third.

When Liverpool last won the Premier League in 2019–2020, many points came from late, dramatic winners. This year, that wasn’t the case. Only twice did they score a winning goal after the 85th minute — against Brentford, when Darwin Núñez bagged a double in stoppage time, and recently against West Ham. This Liverpool side looked powerful from the very start of matches, with a clear sense of dominance and depth. And a key factor behind that was the lack of serious injuries.

This Liverpool squad doesn’t have two full starting elevens. You always know who the main goalkeeper is, who the best central midfielder is, and what the optimal attacking trio looks like. Salah remained consistently brilliant. There was some rotation in a few spots, but it was minimal. Most injuries hit players who weren’t regular starters — like Chiesa, Bradley, Elliott, and Gomez. Among the key players, only Alisson, Konaté, Trent, and Jota missed time, and even then it was just one or two months out. Overall, Liverpool suffered significantly fewer injuries compared to most of their rivals. At Arsenal, Mikel Arteta's key assistant remains Nicolas Jover, who focuses on set-pieces. For Slot, it's Ruben Peeters.

This 32-year-old specialist manages players' workloads in a way that reduces injury risk. After a successful collaboration at Feyenoord, Slot insisted on bringing Peeters with him to Liverpool — he was the first assistant officially announced. Moreover, Liverpool work closely with STATSports, a company that provides cutting-edge tracking technology to monitor player condition.

When discussing Liverpool’s championship, it’s also crucial to mention the drop-off among competitors — especially Manchester City. There have been Premier League seasons where a team collected 97 points but still finished second. Liverpool, of all clubs, know that pain. This time, however, the champions will gather fewer points (a maximum of 94). That said, that earlier season was an anomaly. Looking at all 38-game Premier League seasons, the average point total for champions is 87.7. Liverpool, by all accounts, will surpass that. City’s slight decline certainly played a part, but it would be wrong to explain Liverpool’s triumph solely through that lens. Slot’s team marched at a pace entirely worthy of champions.

Published by Patrick Jane
27.04.2025