The history of the Premier League shows that there are few responsibilities more complicated than replacing successful, transformative and good-looking managers. Paradoxically, there are also few jobs more exciting for elite coaches.
Following Jurgen Klopp to Liverpool is certainly one of the roles and rightly so for a vital position on Merseyside, the favourites have replaced and fought for a position like the Kentucky Derby rivals.
Liverpool enthusiasts have been asking about the tactics, characteristics and alleged inner workings of Xabi Alonso and Ruben Amorim, now, Feyenoord head coach Arne Slot is the call on everyone’s lips.
Athletic’s David Ornstein reported on April 24 that Liverpool were in talks with Slot, who had become their “preferred option. “On May 17, Slot himself said at a press conference that he would succeed Klopp this year, none of the clubs have shown the news. still.
Just a day after Klopp’s last game at Anfield on May 19, Liverpool finally proved that Slot would take over as the new permanent manager from July 1, 2024.
We can announce that Arne Slot has reached an agreement with the club’s new manager, officially taking office on June 1, 2024, subject to a work ? permit
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Speaking to the media on May 17, two days before Klopp’s final match between Liverpool and Wolves at Anfield, Slot revealed the news that fans have been waiting for.
“I can prove that I will be manager in Liverpool’s season,” he said.
Although Liverpool did not immediately confirm his claims, his confirmation was most likely imminent. On May 20, the Reds, despite everything, announced his appointment as coach.
“Liverpool Football Club can announce that Arne Slot has reached an agreement for the club’s new manager to officially take over on 1 June 2024, subject to a work permit,” they said.
“The 45-year-old will sign for Feyenoord’s Reds before the 2024/25 season, after reaching an agreement with the Eredivisie club for his services. “
In fact, Slot is not the first call related to the Anfield position. Xabi Alonso is the first favourite to succeed Klopp, having led Bayer Leverkusen to a historic first Bundesliga title, but was quick to confirm that he would remain in place. Given that Leverkusen are still in the fight for the treble in the Bundesliga, UEFA Europa League and DFB-Pokal, who can blame him?
At a press conference at the end of March, Alonso said: “We have had a lot of speculation about my future. We played a lot of games, we were busy, focused and I was looking to take advantage of the foreign break and reflect and make a decision.
“Last week I had a very intense meeting with Simon [Rolfes] and Fernando [Carro] and I informed them of my decision to continue as Bayer Leverkusen coach.
“It’s the right position for me, to evolve as a coach. The enthusiasts have shown wonderful help this year. They have each and every one of the explanations and dream that we can have a wonderful season. The players gave me a lot of explanations why. Keep believing. In the team, my cadres are not here.
This progression further strengthened the position of potential candidates such as Ruben Amorim and Roberto De Zerbi, the former Brighton manager.
MORE: Xabi Alonso out of the race against Jurgen Klopp in Liverpool
Slot cemented his reputation this season by winning the KNVB Cup with Feyenoord in the Netherlands, in addition to the Eredivisie triumph he orchestrated last season.
PSV won the league title in 2024/25, but Feyenoord are secure in a Champions League qualification place, so it’s easy to see how negotiations were able to progress in an atmosphere of “full respect”.
No one was looking for a repeat of the situation in December 2020, when Slot said goodbye to AZ after striking a deal with Feyenoord, whom he led to the UEFA Europa Conference League final in his first season in charge.
However, this disorderly departure is not the decisive memory of Slot’s stay in Alkmaar. His average of 2. 11 points per game is the highest of any coach in AZ history. He may have even achieved great luck in the Eredivisie. In 2019/20, AZ was Erik ten Hag’s Ajax with the highest goal difference when the coronavirus pandemic hit and the season was cancelled.
Slotch’s work at Feyenoord, a great club with a history but not the most economically difficult in Dutch football, has clear parallels with Klopp’s spells at Borussia Dortmund against conquering Bayern Munich and at Liverpool against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. There are also stylistic similarities.
Slot is a defender of high-intensity offensive football. His team plays with a superior defensive line and looks to advance the ball quickly.
This evidently echoes Klopp’s more romantic memories of ‘heavy steel football’ at Dortmund and Liverpool, with the exception that the Reds manager tempered that strategy when it became clear that a gigantic number of things were needed to compete with City.
Slot basically uses 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 configurations. In the latter case, it’s not unusual to see their two deepest midfielders operating close to central defenders in preparation to bounce passes around the opposing press.
This is a technique used in the Premier League through De Zerbi, another manager who is said to be on Liverpool’s radar. It also frees up full-backs for attack and may be music to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s ears. Andy Robertson and star Conor Bradley.
Without possession, Klopp’s clip from a top press is basic for Slot. Many important points about his past paintings and the characteristics of the Liverpool team distinguish him as a smart candidate. It will then be up to Slot to prove that it’s not just “Klopp-lite” or any other potentially unflattering label.
MORE: How did Liverpool pay for Arne Slot?
Liverpool fans will have to get used to singing Slot’s at the Kop, as they did with Klopp.
Early reports that Slot, the preferred candidate to take over in Liverpool, also sparked a flood of questions on social media about how to deliver his call. Well, as with many Dutch calls, it’s not too confusing for English speakers. His call is pronounced phonetically, as it is written: Ar-ner Slot.
To start perfecting your pronunciation, Liverpool fans, you can hear it pronounced through a Dutchman here.
You’d expect Slot to be operational in Liverpool, but he’ll have the credit of getting his message across to the talented team quickly, as he speaks very intelligent English.
Slot has already been asked at press conferences via English journalists in relation to Feyenoord’s commitments to European clubs, adding that last year he connected with Tottenham and temporarily showed his language skills.
Klopp’s decision to leave his position at Anfield came as a surprise to everyone.
He made the announcement in an emotional video and a message written on the club’s online website in January, saying he is “running out of energy” for the demands of control at the highest level.
The news hit Liverpool fans hard, and also had repercussions in the Premier League.
Klopp’s war with Manchester City manager Guardiola proved to be the defining war of his time in English football.
In 2018, Liverpool knocked City out of the Champions League and eventually suffered a defeat to Real Madrid in Kiev.
Also losing to Los Blancos in the 2022 final, Klopp secured Liverpool’s sixth European crown by beating Tottenham 2-0 at Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano stadium in 2019.
This good fortune facilitated glory in the 2019 editions of the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. Liverpool also won the domestic Carabao Cup and FA Cup double in 2020/21.
Liverpool won the trophy by beating Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final in February and Klopp has combined an exciting young squad this season that includes Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Darwin Nunez and a rejuvenated Trent Alexander-Arnold.
They were chasing the Premier League name in a three-way war with City and leaders Arsenal, but a damaging 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace led to a slump in effects that ultimately put them out of the running.
After joining the club in October 2015, Klopp gave a transparent explanation of his upcoming departure in an interview with Liverpool’s in-house media team on 26 January.
“I will leave the club at the end of the season. I can sense it’s a surprise to a lot of people now that you’re reading it for the first time,” he said.
“Obviously, I can do it or at least check it out. Surely I love everything about this club, I love everything about this city, I love everything about our fans, I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything.
MORE: The full interview with Jurgen Klopp on the Liverpool exit
“The fact that I’m still making this resolution shows you that I’m convinced that this is the one I have to take. It’s because I’m. . . how to say it. . . I’m running out of energy. “.
“I don’t have any challenges now. I think I’ve known for a long time that I’ll have to announce it at some point. But now I’m completely fine, but I also know that I can’t paint the paintings over and over again. over and over and over again.
“After all the years we spent together and all the time we spent together, all the things we experienced together, respect for you grew and love for you grew. The least I owe you is the truth. And that is the truth. “.
A message from Jürgen Klopp to Liverpool. pic. twitter. com/l7rtmxgOzt enthusiasts