ARNE Slot became the sixth manager to win the Premier League in his first season, yet his title defence already looks to be in tatters, with Liverpool eight points behind league leaders Arsenal in eighth place.
History does not look to be on the Dutchman’s side judging by what happened to the other five Premier League managers to win the league at the first attempt.
- Jose Mourinho 2004/05
The self-proclaimed “Special One” lived up to his moniker and became the first-ever manager to win the Premier League in his first season, gifting Chelsea their first league trophy in 50 years.
Arriving from Porto in the summer of 04, on the back of winning the Champions League, Mourinho won the league with 95 points a record that stood for 13 years.
Mourinho lost one game all season, with Chelsea going unbeaten at home.
In his second season, Mourinho won the league again with 92 points, once again going unbeaten at home, with the closest challengers Manchester United eight points behind.
Mourinho is one of two manager on this list not to have been sacked within a year of winning a league in their first season.
His third season and final season at Chelsea in his first spell saw him knocked off his perch by Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United. A second-place finish and reports of disagreements with Roman Ibramovich saw the most successful manager, who won the league in their debut season, depart the club.
Mourinho is also the only non-Italian manager on this list.
2. Carlo Ancelotti 2009/10
The second of three Chelsea managers to be on this list, Ancelotti came to England after eight years in Milan. He won the league by a point on the final day of the season, beating United to their first league title since 2006.
Ancelotti could not repeat Mourinho’s glory; he finished second the following season,9 points behind United.
The Italian manager was then sacked less than two hours after a 0-1 defeat at Everton on the final day of the season.
3. Manuel Pellegrini 13/14
The first non-Chelsea manager on this list. Pellegrini won the league in his 1st season with Man City;
However, up till April, that season it looked like Pellegrini would not be joining this list.
Liverpool looked to be in control until the famous Gerrard slip against Chelsea, and the game that was named Crystanbull, where Liverpool were 3-0 up at half time away to Crystal Palace but conceded three goals in 45 minutes to draw the game 3-3 handing the league to Pellegrini and City.
Pellegrini could not follow Mourinho’s success in his second and third seasons with a second and fourth place finish.
It was announced midway through his third season that he would be replaced by Pep Guardiola at the end of the campaign.
4. Claudio Ranieri 15/16
The Miracle Man that did the impossible.
Replacing Nigel Pearson, who had just helped Leicester produce the great escape the season before, everyone expected Leicester to be in another relegation fight, but instead Ranieri brought a league title in his first season, finishing 10 points clear of Arsenal in second place.
However, just nine months later, Ranieri was sacked with Leicester one point above the relegation zone and replaced by Craig Shakespeare.
5.Antonio Conte 2016/17
Conte became Chelsea’s 3rd manager to win the league in their first season in charge. Conte’s three at the back formation guided the Blues to their 6th and latest league title.
However, Conte was also struck with the second-season syndrome, being replaced at the end of his second season, with his side going from league champions to finishing fifth and securing Europa League football.
Arne Slot is not the only manager to struggle after winning the league, but only Ranieri was in a worse position than Slot currently is.
So if history is anything to go by, it does not look good for Slot’s future beyond this season.
Will Slot join Mourinho and Pellegrini and make it to the third season, or will his time be cut short like the other three on the list?
