Arne Slot could idolise Pep Guardiola however Liverpool see him as a pure successor to Jurgen Klopp.
The 45-year-old Dutchman, who was confirmed as the brand new head coach at Anfield on Monday, has earned a fame as a perfectionist and management freak and has stated the Metropolis boss and Lionel Messi are the 2 individuals to have enriched soccer and by no means disenchanted him in current a long time.
“Guardiola’s groups all the time play good, dominant, nicely thought out soccer,” Slot stated a few years in the past.
“Then after all you might have Jurgen Klopp. Manchester Metropolis-Liverpool for me is the final word sport.” He’s about to expertise that first-hand.
For all his admiration of Guardiola, his fashion is extra akin to Klopp’s – his Feyenoord crew performs 4-3-3 and their urgent has turn into among the many most profitable of any crew throughout Europe’s prime seven leagues, with numbers intently mirroring these of Liverpool, and his desire for a excessive line of defense is a well-known tactic.
That can assist with the transition because it mustn’t require main adjustments in techniques or personnel at Anfield.
Slot can also be thought to be an skilled in man administration and greater than able to dealing with the media – which performs a major half within the function of Liverpool supervisor – and he locations an enormous emphasis on growing younger gamers.
It might seem Michael Edwards, Fenway Sports activities Group’s new chief government of soccer, has picked a Klopp clone however even he is aware of that’s unimaginable contemplating the influence the German has had on and off the pitch in 9 years.
However whereas the similarities are apparent, and considerably comprehensible, Liverpool will hope they’ve recognized the person who cannot solely proceed Klopp’s work however improve it.
When Slot, who’s open to new concepts and has even watched his native basketball membership for inspiration, arrived at Feyenoord they’d completed fifth within the Eredivisie and weren’t blessed with important monetary sources.
However in his first season he took them to the Europa League last, as Klopp did with Liverpool, and received the league in his second marketing campaign.
He suits the FSG philosophy of getting extra from untapped sources or underrated gamers – maybe greatest exemplified by Turkey worldwide Orkun Kokcu who was reworked beneath his management and, after lifting the league trophy, was offered to Benfica for a membership file £21.5million-plus.
In Slot’s earlier job he guided unfancied AZ Alkmaar to second within the league in a Covid-shortened 2019-20 season.
He now has to make the appreciable step up when it comes to high quality and expectation. Liverpool will hope they’ve chosen nicely.
