After breaking a new record in Liverpool’s managerial history, winning nine of his first 10 games, Arne Slot already sits among the best in the competitive landscape of European football.
Losing just one game in his start in the Premier League, still unbeaten in all other competitions and having the best winning rate percentage in England, the Dutch manager set high the standards within his European colleagues.
But is he still number one compared to other managers of top European clubs after the start of this season? We’ll take a look at Hans-Dieter Flick, Adi Hütter, Marco Rose and Antonio Conte.
Three are coaching the current leaders their respective leagues and are in their debut season. Yet they have all already made a significant impact.
Slot’s run with the Reds in the Premier League can be compared to the work Flick has been doing at Barcelona, now sitting at the top of La Liga.
Since he stepped up in Catalunya last summer, he led his team to an extraordinary 77.78% winning rate, outperforming La Liga champions Real Madrid, coached by Carlo Ancelotti.
The same can be seen in France, where Hütter remarkably remains unbeaten, consolidating first place in Ligue 1. They are two points ahead of PSG who are currently after losing Kylian Mbappé.
Rose and RB Leipzig share first place in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, even retaining the lowest rate of goals conceded per game (0.89).
According to FootyStats, managers in their first year are not only adapting quickly but are also outperforming established coaches in key tactical areas and changing team mentality.
If Slot’s task of replacing Jürgen Klopp was not easy at all, even tougher was Conte’s job of taking in charge of re-establishing Napoli’s position in Serie A, right after the team failed to qualify for European football for the first time in 14 years.
Slot’s numbers almost match to the former Chelsea manager, with one exception of a draw that lowers his winning percentage to 71% compared to the Dutch’s 83%.
This comparison highlights that despite the impact he had on Liverpool, Slot still has to leave his mark on European football, with some way to go after the international break.
