Liverpool icon REVEALS why Reds haven’t suffered post-Klopp malaise like Man Utd did after Ferguson

Liverpool said goodbye to iconic manager Jurgen Klopp at the end of last season and are now at the start of a new era under Arne Slot, but so far so good at Anfield.

Klopp has been in charge of Liverpool for almost a decade and in that time has won virtually every trophy available to him, including the Reds’ sixth European Cup and a first league title in 30 years.

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They are big shoes to fill, but Slot has yet to make a single misstep, winning his first three Premier League games without conceding a goal, and becoming the only Liverpool manager to win his first trip to Old Trafford since George Kay in 1936.

Liverpool have looked impressive under Slot, with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz firing on all cylinders, and now legendary Liverpool winger John Barnes has given his thoughts on the Dutchman’s start to life on Merseyside.

What did Barnes say?

Barnes was complimentary of Slot’s start to Liverpool and was quick to compare Klopp’s transition to Slot to the departures of other legendary Premier League managers – including Alex Ferguson to Manchester United, Arsene Wenger to Arsenal and Jose Mourinho to Chelsea.

“We’ve seen Fergie leave, we’ve seen Wenger leave, we’ve seen Mourinho leave from the big clubs. The reason players aren’t doing as well is because they’re slacking off because the big player has left, whereas Liverpool players haven’t,” Barnes told The Rest Is Football on YouTube.

There is, of course, one caveat: we are only three games into the season. Liverpool have only played Brentford, newly promoted at Ipswich Town, who finished 16th.^th in the league last year, and a Manchester United team coming off their worst Premier League result.

Although it is still very early in the season, Barnes does not believe Liverpool’s start to the season is a coincidence.

“The people that Jurgen Klopp brought in were good enough to know that ‘OK, you’re not here anymore, but we have to respect the club, the traditions, the fans and the new manager’,” said the former Reds star.

Liverpool’s transition

Liverpool are looking good under Slot and Barnes believes that good form will continue, but how does Liverpool’s transition compare to other teams who have lost legendary managers?

Following Ferguson’s departure from Manchester United, he was replaced by David Moyes, who stayed at Old Trafford for just 10 months before being sacked. Moyes took four points from his first three games in charge and United finished seventh in the league that season, although they ended the season with Ryan Giggs as caretaker manager.

When Wenger left Arsenal, Unai Emery replaced him. The Spaniard stayed just two seasons at the Emirates Stadium, finishing fifth in his first season and taking just three points from his first three games as Arsenal manager.

These statistics clearly show why Barnes is so impressed with Slot’s debut at Liverpool. They highlight the good work the Dutchman has done.

It is important to note that Slot inherited a very strong team from Klopp, a luxury Emery did not have at Arsenal, but Moyes took charge of a Manchester United team that had just won the league by 11 points.

It’s probably too early to say whether Slot will have a better time at Liverpool than Moyes or Emery did when they replaced a legendary manager, but the former Feyenoord boss couldn’t have had a better start.

Slot must now remain focused and ensure that complacency does not set in for his Liverpool side, before they welcome Nottingham Forest to Anfield in their next game on September 14.