Liverpool’s new manager, Arne Slot, has the exclusive right to deal with players who push the limits.
Slot is set for his first competitive game for the Reds when they take on Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Saturday. The Dutchman will hope to get off to a better start in Liverpool’s first game of the season as he attempts to start the post-Jurgen Klopp era with 3 points.
Much has been said about the Dutchman’s appointment during the summer months, with main points about his tactics and his taste in the game. He is a coach in the same mold as Klopp, either in terms of philosophy or temperament, as evidenced by his technique in the discipline.
According to Cole Bassett, star of the Colorado Rapids, who played under Slot at Feyenoord, the 45-year-old is one of those who make his dirty laundry explicit in public. What’s more, their way of dealing with indiscipline is to go to the center of the environment. He needs to be welcomed into a football club, especially at Anfield.
“Every team has some people who think outside the box,” Bassett said in an exclusive interview with Mirror Sport. “It’s natural, we’re human beings. There’s a line with him [Slot], but he didn’t need to make too much of a fuss about it to the point of affecting the team or the performance, and everyone started talking about it in the media.
“He handles it internally so it never comes to light and you can move on and focus on team things. Sometimes players do things and coaches report it in the media and give it a lot of importance, and then they focus on the team for the game. I think he did well when we had trouble maintaining that internally. Everyone makes mistakes and then we move on.
All coaches use other techniques to keep players at bay, but one of the most common disciplinary strategies in the locker room is the penalty system.
Klopp allowed his team to punish anyone deemed to have broken the rules. According to James Milner, it was a giant inflatable die and the holding of a mock trial.
Others, such as former Everton and Chelsea manager Frank Lampard, are known for applying a more classic punishment system. The legendary midfielder would fine £500 for those who arrived outside due to team meetings, while a fine of £20,000 per minute. 20,000 for arriving after training.
Slot is thought to work as a formula for fines for more general indiscretions, such as being late for practice or missing the team bus. But, Bassett says, you can apply a more unique technique to individual cases to teach a lesson, foster team unity, and provide a valuable lesson to the defendant.
“They [Feyenoord] didn’t have a fine formula,” Bassett says. “I found it strange, because with so many Brits here in the MLS, I was used to a formula of fines.
“But when I moved there, we didn’t have a smart formula. If you went too far or missed training, the club would fine you, but there was no consistent formula for small mistakes, which is a bit different. to what I’m used to because otherwise we’ve had that.
Bassett continued: “There was a time when we had a break overseas and guys who hadn’t been called up for their national team might be away for 3 or 4 days. One player did not return to training on time on Monday. Arne did a smart job solving the problem. The player fined us and had to take us to a team dinner.
“His punishment was for everyone and he had to pay for that. He may have made a big fuss, but the team came together and the player no longer had to pay for a full team dinner. He learned his lesson and no one outside the organization knew at the time.
Slot hopes no one understands him as he tries to make the best start as Liverpool manager. But if they do, at least now they know he could just charge them.
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