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Arne Slot will be desperate to retain the title next season(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Now the hard work starts.

For decades managers have warned that defending a title is harder than winning one.

And for Arne Slot that cliche firmly applies after a debut campaign beyond all pre-season dreams.



Liverpool have been inarguably the Premier League ’s best team; consistent performers surrounded by erratic rivals.

But they cannot hope for the same come August as the chasing pack look to strengthen and avoid the mistakes that meant this title race was over long before the trees blossomed.

The signing of new deals by captain Virgil van Dijk and star man Mohamed Salah, who has enjoyed the most dazzling of seasons, may temper talk of the need for a competent overhaul.

READ MORE:Liverpool handed Trent Alexander-Arnold boost after Virgil van Dijk contract demandREAD MORE:Arne Slot suffers Liverpool transfer blow as rival steps up interest in top target

Yet Liverpool still require several additions if they are to retain the title for the first time since 1983-84 – not to mention renew an assault on Europe.

Jamie Carragher – albeit before news of both Van Dijk and Salah – recently claimed that Slot will need half a dozen new players in the summer.

His goal return has been hugely disappointing but from those few strikes there were vital efforts against Brentford and Southampton.

Nunez is unlikely to ever become prolific in the Premier League but equally Slot’s tactical approach is more amenable to wide forwards thriving with the central figure doing a lot of thankless work.

Darwin Nunez has scored some important goals for Liverpool but is expected to depart, while Andy Robertson could use some better competition(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

The midfield looks well set - though Carragher believes two more players are required to enhance the offering available to Slot - and the outstanding question among the goalkeepers is whether Caoimhin Kelleher, widely regarded as the best second-choice anywhere, seeks a move to a club where he’s the main man.

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Rare is the decision to overhaul a title-winning squad but Liverpool, Slot and those up the chain will all know that to stand still will make another title push next season impossible.

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