The emergence of news earlier this year that Jurgen Klopp was set to stand down from his role as Liverpool manager at the end of this season was one that caught a majority of football fans by surprise.
Since then, Liverpool have been constantly linked to managers through the media, but until now nothing has come of these stories.
Recent reports suggested Liverpool may be looking at Arne Slot, current manager of Feyenoord, to replace the long-standing German and Slot himself confirmed his intentions before managing his side in a game against Go Ahead Eagles, stating: “The clubs are negotiating. I am waiting to see what will come out of it.
“It is no secret that I would like to go to Liverpool. Now I am waiting for the clubs to reach an agreement. I have every confidence in that.”
With this news, we’re going to take a look at some of the reasons why Arne Slot will be a success for Liverpool:
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Formation
Arne Slot has garnered a reputation from fans in the Netherlands for his high-intensity, attacking teams, with his side normally setting up in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation, similar to what Klopp has used during his eight seasons at the club.
The wingers have a large responsibility for creating chances for themselves and those around them under Slot, while current striker Santiago Gimenez shares a lot of qualities to former-Liverpool number nine Roberto Firmino. The Mexican is more of an out-and-out striker than the Brazilian, currently sitting on 21 goals in 29 Eredivisie games, but the pressing nature of their play is extremely similar.
Tactical Style
One word that has been used a lot to describe Slot as a whole is ‘intensity’, and that word can once again be used as a description of his tactical style.
This season Feyenoord have had an average of 61.7% possession in the Eredivisie, second only to the phenomenal league leaders PSV Eindhoven, while their pressing off the ball has been the most successful of any side across the top seven European leagues. Feyenoord have made 722 interceptions this season, outperforming Liverpool who have just 706, and they have also won the most points from losing positions with 62, joint with Liverpool.
Slot has described his teams to UEFA in the past as being “an attack-minded team that likes to have a lot of the ball, and we play with a lot of intensity. When we don’t have the ball, we want to win it back as quickly as possible by being aggressive”.
Personality
Similarities between the Dutch manager’s personality have been drawn with Klopp, especially following the brutally honest interview where Slot announced his intentions to join Liverpool.
In his time in England Klopp has become known for his ability to smile and joke with the media, but also have his moments of anger and authority. This is comparable to the reputation that Slot has earned himself in Holland, with it becoming apparent that he isn’t scared to make funny remarks and joke with the media and his players, but it is known that he can be extremely stern towards his players if needed.
Winning Experience
Finally, Slot may not have hit the heights that Klopp achieved prior to becoming Liverpool manager, but he certainly has achieved plenty of success during his time in the Netherlands.
In his first season with Feyenoord, he took his side to the Europa Conference League final, eventually losing to Roma despite being the dominant force in the match, and last season he guided them to an Eredivisie title. Feyenoord finished eight points clear of second-place PSV, losing just twice in their 34 matches, scoring a fantastic 81 goals and conceding a league-low 30.
While PSV look certain to win the Eredivisie this year, Feyenoord have won the KNVB Beker, beating NEC Nijmegen 1-0 in the final, securing his second piece of silverware in as many years.
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