Arne Slot has revealed what Jurgen Klopp and Pep Lijnders told him about the Liverpool squad. They were absolutely right, too.
Arne Slot has had a little bit of time with his new squad now. Pre-season is firmly underway and while some of the stars remain absent because of international commitments, the new head coach does have an idea of the players at his disposal.
“I’m enjoying [the job so far] a lot,” said Slot. “The pitches are great. The boys are full of energy; Pep [Lijnders] and Jürgen [Klopp] already said to me last season that I’m going to enjoy working with them – and they haven’t lied at all.
“Full of energy. Also the youngsters coming from the Academy, they have the same intensity and the guys are open to learn. The way I see it, the way I feel is that they enjoy them [the sessions] as well. So, the three most important ingredients.”
Slot agrees with Klopp’s take
It’s what every manager wants to be told, really – that their squad will have the energy to deliver their ideas. Slot heard it from Klopp & Lijnders and has confirmed it himself almost instantly.
Modern football is built around running and energy, after all. Liverpool hired Slot knowing full well that he’d keep that elite intensity that made the team so successful under Klopp. He was looking for it in the squad and he’s found it.
Of course, how he uses that intensity will be slightly different to Klopp. That’s one of the more interesting parts of pre-season and the whole change over happening this summer.
Slot’s Liverpool will have several of the hallmarks of Klopp’s Liverpool but it will be different. We can’t wait to find out how.
