With a team that is always as ambitious as Liverpool, it is very difficult for someone to be as successful as a coach as Jurgen Kloop once was.The Anfield team has found Klopp’s successor, and the chosen one is Arne Slot. To replace a legend of one of the biggest clubs in the world is not simple at all. If you need an example, look at David Moyes – who failed miserably when he was “chosen for him” by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.
Of course, objectively speaking, Liverpool is in a much better position than Manchester United was in the past. First, Sir Alex stayed in office for too long before retiring. And secondly, the squad that Sir Alex left for David Moyes is really not strong. But by hiring Slot, who is unproven outside the Netherlands, Liverpool are taking a gamble.
Liverpool’s board of directors are betting on Slot’s “frenzied and seductive football” to pick up where Klopp left off, although his tactical approach is still only successful within Dutch borders. However, there are still signs that Slot is a very likely coach to succeed at Anfield, for the following three reasons.
Steady career advancement
Slot lifted the Eredivisie championship title last season.
This 45-year-old new strategist has taken over management at three clubs, and he has been successful. First, Slot was appointed head coach of the Dutch second division team SC Cambuur in October 2016. With his talent, he helped this club climb from 14th to 3rd place during the season. there, and reached the semi-finals of the Dutch Cup for the first time in history.
Next, Arne Slot took over AZ Alkmaar in the 2019/20 season, helping this team top the Eredivisie after the first 9 rounds, before the tournament was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In July 2021, Arne Slot accepted the position of head coach of Feyenoord, where he has had the greatest success in his coaching career to date.
In the 2020/21 season, a year before his arrival, Feyenoord finished the Eredivisie in 5th place overall. But just two years after Slot arrived, the club was crowned king, for the first time in six seasons. Although Feyenoord could not help defend the championship this season, finishing in runner-up position was a success against the superiority of PSV Eindhoven.
The playing style is similar to Klopp
These two men have a lot in common when it comes to their coaching philosophies.
The most recognizable feature of the playing style of the teams led by Arne Slot up to now is the extremely aggressive pressing strategy, something quite similar to the attractive version of Liverpool that Jurgen Klopp has created throughout the years. the years.
Slot once shared his philosophy as follows: “When we don’t have the ball, we want to win it back as quickly as possible by applying fierce pressure at every position to force the opponent to make mistakes and win. “back in control” . Does this sound familiar?
Yes, it’s very similar to what Klopp built for the Merseyside Red Brigade. Passes per defensive action (PPDA) is the best measure of pressing ability, and Feyenoord’s figure this season of 10.1 is not only second in the Eredivisie but also third among all clubs. Premier League club, behind only Liverpool (8.9) and Tottenham Hotspur (8.8).
Ability to elevate players
Feyenoord is proud to be a young but very strong team in the Dutch championship this season. They have 7 players 23 years old or younger who have started at least 10 matches in the Eredivisie. The reason they achieved this is thanks to Arne Slot’s ability to discover and elevate young players.
Since arriving here in the 2021/22 season, he has helped Feyenoord earn a net profit from transfers of about 35 million pounds. This 45-year-old strategist has really made good use of the club’s youth training facility. That’s good news for promising Liverpool academy products like Jarell Quansah, Conor Bradley and Bobby Clark.
For all of the above reasons, fans of the Anfield home team can completely trust Arne Slot, that he will not fail miserably like another Dutchman, Erik ten Hag, with Manchester United. Slot’s only weakness is probably his experience as a coach in the Premier League, but for a talented person like him, that is not a problem.
