Liverpool fans may be a little concerned about the club's imminent appointment of Arne Slott as their new manager, and rightly so.
One has to think that the Dutchman was a third choice at best. Xabi Alonso turned them down and Reuben Amorim's footprints have turned cold After a reckless flight to East London.
However, considering continuity, the Feyenoord manager may be Liverpool's best option. Here are five reasons why Arne Slott is the new Jurgen Klopp.
mix with the big boys
Like Klopp, Slott's career as a player cannot be compared to what he achieved as a coach. He was a mediocre number 10 who played for mediocre clubs like PEC Zwolle, NAC Breda and Sparta Rotterdam. As a manager, he started with AZ Alkmaar, where he won more points per game (2.11) than any other manager in the club's history, and finished the coronavirus-shortened season in first place at Ajax, leading the way to the Sleeping Giant. He earned a transfer to Feyenoord. It's a lot like Borussia Dortmund before Klopp arrived from Mainz.
Feyenoord had finished fifth the season before Slott's arrival, but the football had rotted under previous manager Dick Advocaat, they didn't have much money to speak of, and they were twice beaten by Austrian side Wolfsberger in the Europa League. Due to the humiliation of the loss, captain and leading scorer Steven Berghuis left the team. Ajax. Everything was very dark.
Slot revolutionized the style of play in its first season on a shoestring budget (more on that below). They finished third in the Eredivisie and narrowly lost to Jose Mourinho's Roma in the Europa Conference League final.
Slott led Feyenoord to the title with a transfer surplus of 40 million euros in his second season, following the departure of big-name players such as Tyrrell Malasia and Luis Sinisterra in the summer of 2022. All 17 players who arrived ahead of their title-winning season were signed for the same amount that Ajax spent to sign Steven Bergwijn from Tottenham.
It took another season for the insensitive Klopp to win the title with Dortmund. But like Feyenoord's slot, the German bought a historically big club and made it big again, spending next to nothing in the process. Mats Hummels, Robert Lewandowski and Shinji Kagawa were all signed for an incredible combined £8m. Mainz tableside, like AZ Alkmaar, punched well above their weight up front.
darling of the media
“He's very similar to Klopp,” said Dutch journalist Marcel van der Klaan. football daily podcast. He is “charismatic” and “full of energy” both on the training ground and in press conferences, but journalists appear to have a very similar mindset when facing Liverpool's current manager.
He is charming, polite, smiling and funny. Asked at the end of last season about his desire to manage in the Premier League, in relation to his job at Tottenham, he replied: “I'll take a good look at them.”We didn't say he's a stand-up comedian, but he's like Klopp when he's not hitting the 12:30 kickoff or insulting a reporter because of his weightAs well as delving into the nitty-gritty of specific tactics and football management, Slott also enjoys the light-hearted side of things.
It is in times of adversity that his upbeat personality is truly tested, something he is sure to encounter at Anfield but which he has yet to truly experience in his short managerial career. There's a good chance he'll be as annoying as his replacement, but at least we can expect a honeymoon period of weather jokes and similarly charming comedy.
Read more: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been thought to have a big butt many times
Attackers defend and create
In his first team meeting as Feyenoord manager, Slott played footage of the 2021 Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City, reminding his players that despite the incredible attacking talent on the pitch, , reportedly asked why he thought his chances were slim. The answer was simple. The attacker was defending. And so are his beliefs, shared by manager Klopp. “We defend by attacking.”
There are differences in their styles. Liverpool's tactical identity under Klopp has been built around 'gegenpressing', but during the build-up (poor passes, poor first touches, incorrect positioning) they are considered 'pressing triggers'. (deemed) and corner the opponent both in the slot immediately after losing the ball. We ask our players to always press. It's tiring at first, but as Feyenoord have proven in recent seasons, they quickly get used to it and can be very effective.
Since Slott took over in 2021, Feyenoord have won possession in the final three more times than any other team in Europe's top five leagues and the Eredivisie, with 722, according to Opta, with Liverpool in second place with 706. ing. Feyenoord and Liverpool also had high turnovers, meaning they were ranked 1st and 2nd respectively, with Liverpool 1st and Feyenoord 2nd in press sequences. A press sequence is defined as the number of times a team breaks an opponent's passing sequence with three or fewer passes by defensive action within 40 meters of the opponent's goal.
Feyenoord also ranks first in terms of turnovers with 201 shots. Liverpool are fourth with 184, behind Bayern Munich (192) and PSV Eindhoven (192). Like Klopp's side, Slot's side win the ball high up and make the most of it.
high defense line
Last season, an aging midfield that made it difficult to press effectively, combined with Virgil van Dijk's struggles, was a big problem for Liverpool, but when it works, it really works. Liverpool's high defensive line was magnificent, with the Fab Three in their prime, Georginio Wijnaldum tearing things apart and Van Dijk an indomitable defensive giant. They have been doing very well this season, and Feyenoord in the slot are operating in much the same way.
One way to measure a team's defensive quality or aggressiveness is starting distance. This measures in meters how far from upfield a team's open play his sequence begins. Since 2021, Manchester City are first across Europe's top five leagues and the Eredivisie with a starting distance of 45.6 metres, while Feyenoord are second with a starting distance of 44.9 metres, with Liverpool literally and figuratively at 44.6, according to Opta. It is just behind it in meters.
Read more: Why Arne Slot is worse than Ten Hag but somehow Lord is better
entertainment
the important thing is, slot I hope his team plays good soccer. He understands that entertaining his fans is important. “I want to have as many good football players in the team as possible and make them work as hard as possible,” he said of his own philosophy. Not just Liverpool fans, but the entire football world will be relieved to know that. More than anyone else, Slott admires the constant battle between the Premier League's best teams. “For me Manchester City versus Liverpool is the ultimate match,” he said.
There will be concerns about how Slott will cope with big names and better players, but Marco van Basten believes it will actually help the Dutchman pursue beautiful football at Anfield. I believe it will.
“If we let AZ and Feyenoord play a match, [good] Soccer, big clubs will also be able to play [good] It's football,” Van Basten said. “I think it will be easier for him because we have good players who understand what you want faster.”