Arne Slot has been announced as Jurgen Klopp’s replacement at Liverpool, but who is the man the club believes can guide them into this new era and what can they expect from the 45-year-old Dutch manager?
Speaking to those who have coached Slot and those who have been coached through him, as well as colleagues from his team, we take a look at Liverpool’s next player’s formation, exploring his tactical ideas, player control and media control.
“Lazy” is a word that rarely comes up when talking about slots as a player. More than anything, it’s slow. A languid number 10 would not have had a position in the urgent game of Slot. “He wasn’t the fastest, but he had a wonderful touch,” Rob McDonald told Sky Sports.
A former Newcastle and PSV striker, McDonald is an assistant coach at FC Zwolle, Slot’s boyhood club. He recently crossed paths with Slot in a confrontation between Feyenoord and Groningen, which led to a brief reunion after a double take of Slot, a teenager who is no more.
He was one of those who looked around, a bit like [Paul] Gascoigne, and a little bit like some of the other more level-headed players who had the ability to keep a smart, direct frame and look around him. “
McDonald is now recruiting Dutch coaches for positions around the world, but admits he didn’t necessarily anticipate Slot’s coaching career. “I think he absorbed it all if I look back. “This interest in coaching came later, his career in the game.
When Slot returned to Zwolle later in his career, then known as PEC Zwolle, he had a leader in the field, asked questions, and tactics were not easy to perceive. He joined the club’s staff before seriously starting his coaching career at Cambuur.
It was at Cambuur, under the guidance of Henk de Jong and, in particular, Marcel Keizer, former Ajax coach, that Slot’s concepts of how to play football began to crystallize. He exchanged views with Keiser and the two shared a video library of matches.
Michel Vonk, the former Manchester City defender who later worked with Slot at AZ Alkmaar, appreciates Slot’s appetite for the game. “He spent hours watching videos of the big teams, Barcelona and, of course, Manchester City,” Vonk told Sky. Sport.
“Arne is a wonderful football coach who likes to play football offensively. “Like many more sensible coaches, his commitment to his concepts is total. “He’s like Pep Guardiola,” added Von. He believes in those principles and respects them with the team.
Slot joined Keizer because of this enthusiasm for Barcelona football and when Keizer left in October 2016, Slot joined Sipke Hulshoff, who was given the chance as head coach. Jurjan Manners was one of their first signings in January.
“Marcel looked for me in Cambuur. I went to Ajax but I told myself that Arne was there and that I had to come and paint with him,” Mannes told Sky Sports. “I went to the nepastiations and won Arne’s presentation. You immediately knew where you were looking to be. “
“I’ve been fortunate to have a coach like him in my career,” Mannes says. Among Slot’s many qualities was clarity in communicating his tactical ideas. Cambuur played on a Friday night, but Slot’s team knew their opponent perfectly well on Tuesday. .
“At that moment we already knew that they were going to press with three, that we were going to build with two defenders and two midfielders at the back and that the solution was to beat the press. During their sessions, we had already presented the answers for Friday.
“What Arne did well was the clarity of what we were going to do as opposed to what the opponent needs us to do. It was very clear. It was the most productive. When you were doing video research with him or just talking about your role, it just simplified everything.
“He explained very obviously what the purpose of your position was, what he wanted you to do, what he didn’t need you to do. He gave videos of examples, that kind of thing. What I expected from you was very clear. , which I had to adjust, and then you pass out and you do it. “
That said, Mannes had other coaches who were transparent in their thinking. “That clarity wasn’t what set him apart. It was the non-confrontational area. “If Cambuur had to move down to five to remain an additional defender, he did. he.
“If we were to change, we’d have it ready six or seven weeks before the adjustment so the opponent wouldn’t expect it. He’s a very wise, intelligent guy. I think his ability to visualize what the opponent is doing is maybe the most productive thing he has. “
It was in this initial task that Slot began to gain attention due to his accomplishments. Notably, Cambuur, as a second-division team, beat Ajax in the KNVB Cup before following that up with a quarter-final win over an Erik Ten-coached Utrecht side. Witch.
Only a penalty shootout defeat to AZ Alkmaar in the semi-finals left Slot at a disadvantage to claim their third win against an elite opponent in this cup race. But his form in the league that season was even more impressive. Cambuur was ranked 14th when he took over, but he still propelled them to 3rd place.
“We were absolutely dominant,” he said Mannes. La play-off defeat was hard to take in. “In the end we didn’t get promoted, but in terms of style we were far from the others. “a coaching assistant position in AZ is the next step in your adventure to the top.
Mannes wasn’t surprised when AZ called him. In fact, it was the only surprise for the AZ players, whose concepts were soon questioned by their new assistant coach. You might already see Arne’s taste from the first year there,” Mannes says. .
“I know of very transparent presentations that he made to the players almost immediately. There was almost a moment of surprise for some players because it guided them in a new direction they weren’t used to. These are the stories I’ve heard. “
Slot spent two years as an assistant to John van den Brom before the head coach left in the summer of 2019. “I think everyone who was a little bit close to Arne knew that he would be the head coach after that. “A step forward for Slot and for AZ.
The resulting crusade was complicated in some tactics for the AZ. “We had to deal with a lot of things that season,” Pascal Jansen told Sky Sports. The collapse of the roof of the club’s creaking stadium forced the club to play its home games elsewhere.
That didn’t stop Slot from leading AZ’s impressive run. Jansen was part of Slot’s coaching staff at the club before succeeding him. There’s still frustration with how this season has gone. AZ was punctual in the problems with Ten Hag’s Ajax with nine games to play.
“We had a great chance because we were in a phase, in a state of mind,” Jansen recalled. “We were on a roll, we had beaten Ajax twice. We were mentally strong, we played football and scored a lot of goals. And then the season stopped. ” It never restarted.
“If you compare our league to the others, they took a break and finished the championship,” Jansen added. “It’s something the Dutch government didn’t allow us to do and we’ll never know how this season would have ended. It was a wonderful frustration. “
Slot was sacked in December of the following season, amid accusations that he had not fully focused on the team he negotiated with Feyenoord. It was an unfortunate ending, but his legacy is strong. ” He spent a lot of time with young people,” Vonk says.
In addition, he instituted the attacking game that has become de rigueur in Europe: a game of possession combined with intense pressing. These were principles he had begun to implement at the start of his coaching career at Cambuur, Mannes reveals.
“As far as dry cleaning goes, their groups are very well organized. In Cambuur, we felt like we pressed with greater intensity than our opponents, pushing them into the spaces where we wanted to press them, dominating even when they “didn’t have the power ball. “
It’s the same in the AZ. ” He likes his groups to put pressure on the opponent at all times,” says Vonk. “This way he understands the importance of being in great shape. He strengthens his team, he runs really hard to be in shape. “able to play by his principles.
“And thanks to this top leader, his groups have a lot of self-confidence. There are principles that underpin their offensive approach. It starts in the educational field. Lots of video analytics. He’s very transparent and makes sure he takes his team with him. “
The same thing happened with Feyenoord. ” The initial concept is to look to the future,” McDonald explains. “It’s not a team that plays backwards or sideways, unless the game requires it and with a few minutes to go they win 1-0. go. The goal is to keep going. “
Mannes sees Slot’s good fortune at Feyenoord as a continuation of his work, a continuation of a trend. Since winning the Eredivisie title in 2017, the club had finished in the top two and trailed in seventh position in the table when it took charge.
“He replaced Dick Advocaat, a smart coach but with a completely different taste than Arne. You can see how the team has changed, the taste, the dominance, the results, the trophies. Arne gets more players than a general coach. “
He progressed in his first full season with Feyenoord and re-established himself in third position before winning the Eredivisie in 2023. This was achieved through betting football that resembled the future of the club, a win for Feyenoord and a win for Slot’s vision.
In modern games, promoting that vision to players is only part of the task; Promoting it globally can be just as important. Slot’s ability to do this makes him a component of many of the game’s trainers. “In terms of the media, I’m one of the best,” Vonk says.
McDonald remains an admirer of Ten Hag but acknowledges that this could be a key difference between the two Dutch managers and an explanation for why Slot has a better chance of succeeding in the Premier League. “I think Arne is softer on the ears,” he says.
“What I like about Arne is that it’s clear. He’s not in a hurry. He doesn’t allow himself to be harassed. He understands the questions the press wants to ask him and answers them in a short amount of time. I think that’s one of the main reasons he’s done so well. “
Interestingly, his former player Mannes makes the same comment about Slot figuring out in advance what to expect from the press. One thing Arne knows how to deal with is the media. I almost know that he prepares press conferences as he does for matches. “.
Slot even had the necessary meeting with Jose Mourinho before becoming Liverpool manager. Slot had praised Napoli, but unlike Mourinho’s Roma, he had warned that he did not watch so many of his matches, preferring to watch Guardiola’s teams.
“Mourinho was disappointed and motivated his team,” Mannes recalled. “It probably backfired on Roma, so he’ll be informed of those things as well. “But, as Mannes and many others see, this playful aspect is part of the charm of man.
“As a player, you’re really in it. He’s the one you follow. When you go into the break, he’ll give you the main little points to change the game in your favor, you do it and, boom, it happens. You just do it. This is also what he does in the media.
That would possibly have bought time this season, as PSV have been the undisputed leaders in the Eredivisie, not losing a game until week 27 of the season. Feyenoord won the KNVB Cup but had to settle for second place in the table.
Santiago Gimenez, who scored thirteen goals in the second half of last season, has scored only 3 in the same era this time. “It’s kind of embarrassing that I didn’t have the ball because I used to score for fun,” McDonald said. .
“This has been a problem. Some of those who came here to upgrade certain players in certain positions just weren’t smart enough. You can be the most productive coach in the world, but you’re still going to lose. “And yet, Feyenoord may still surpass last season’s total numbers.
Liverpool are looking beyond trophies when assessing the right user to upgrade Jurgen Klopp. Those who know Slot and its paintings feel that it is the combination of gameplay style and usability that makes it the best user.
“I have no doubt that he can relate to people, he’s tactically smart and he’s tough if he needs to,” McDonald said. “If there’s a problem, he’ll solve it. I think it’s a smart user for. . . I can’t say this: stick to Jurgen Klopp.
“But I like the fact that Arne is a quiet user and I think it will be very helpful for him to remember who had such a smart relationship with his players. This respect for players can only be earned through educational strategies and communication. “
Tactically, Vonk believes the replacement can be seamless. “Definitely. They’re also a team that can be dominant with and without the ball. “While Mannes is adamant that it’s this mix of urgency and passing that makes Slot ideal for Liverpool.
“I’m not as good at Liverpool as I am at Feyenoord, but I know Pep Lijnders. They also stand out for their pressing, with a different taste under Jurgen Klopp with 3 strikers and 3 midfielders and full-backs. But this is also intense pressing.
“If they need a coach who can put a team together urgently but who is also very smart with the ball, Arne Slot is certainly one of those guys who will probably surprise a lot of other people who are not passionate about Dutch football. be anything that fits. “
A complicated task but one for which Arne Slot is preparing.
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