Finding the proper candidate to fill Jurgen Klopp’s sneakers was all the time going to be an arduous activity given Liverpool’s resurgent success underneath his watch.
The celebrated Merseyside membership had misplaced a few of its aura throughout the Premier League period and wanted a talismanic determine to revive its repute. In Klopp, Liverpool discovered simply the man.
Transformational period
Since his appointment in 2015, Klopp has reworked the membership into one in every of the most dominant forces in European soccer. During his nine-year reign, Liverpool gained a full set of trophies.
The Champions League win in 2019 was arguably Klopp’s greatest victory, given the event’s pre-eminence, however even perhaps sweeter — by way of what it meant as a second — was the finish of Liverpool’s 30-year look ahead to an English league title in 2020.
Klopp has turn out to be an icon for followers, with his trademark post-match fist pump to the crowd an instance of the connection he has with them. So it was no shock that Liverpool supporters have been shocked in January by his determination to face down as a result of he was “running out of energy”.
Liverpool set about figuring out Klopp’s successor absolutely conscious of the penalties of getting it incorrect. Michael Edwards, lately appointed “chief executive of football” for Liverpool proprietor FSG, oversaw the course of. Edwards was the membership’s former sporting director and had a key position in Klopp’s success, which included the signings of Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk.
As a part of the search, Liverpool regarded for candidates who would go well with a squad assembled to play Klopp’s high-pressing techniques. They additionally wanted to have the character to take cost at one in every of the world’s greatest golf equipment.
For a protracted interval, Xabi Alonso regarded like the excellent match after the former Liverpool participant ended Bayern Munich’s dominance of German soccer. Liverpool by no means publicly confirmed curiosity in Alonso, however he put an finish to the hypothesis, committing his future to Bayer Leverkusen.
Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim was one other contender, however ESPN reported that his loyalty to his 3-4-Three formation was a stumbling block — with Amorim reluctant to compromise on his tactical philosophy, the value of hiring him amounted to greater than his launch clause (€15 million) and wage expectations (in the area of €12 million a yr). Liverpool additionally needed to consider the value of the squad upheaval that will end result from recruiting for a special system of play.
Betting on Slot
Liverpool finally zeroed in on Feyenoord supervisor Arne Slot, who had been closely linked with a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur final yr.
Slot, who moved to Feyenoord in 2021 after impressing in his first managerial position at AZ Alkmaar, led the Rotterdam membership of their first season collectively to the last of the inaugural Europa Conference League, which it narrowly misplaced to Jose Mourinho’s Roma. Slot then delivered only a second league title in 24 years to Feyenoord and added the Dutch Cup this yr.
While Slot has a successful pedigree with Feyenoord, that file won’t assure success in England. Liverpool want solely have a look at Erik ten Hag’s struggles at Manchester United to understand how tough it may be for a successful coach to adapt to a brand new league.
Ten Hag gained three Dutch titles with Ajax, however faces uncertainty over his future at Old Trafford after a troubled season that appears prone to see United fail to qualify for the Champions League.
An benefit for Slot could be the proven fact that he takes over a staff on the up after Klopp rebuilt his all-conquering squad over the previous two years. Despite dropping key gamers like Sadio Mane, Jordan Henderson and Roberto Firmino, Liverpool has shortly returned to title rivalry and gained the League Cup in February with seven gamers of his staff in the last aged 21 or underneath.
Although Klopp and Liverpool have been hoping to finish their affiliation on a excessive, with one other Premier League title, the current defeat at Everton and draw in opposition to West Ham have damage their possibilities. Liverpool was additionally eradicated in the Europa League quarterfinals by Atalanta.
While that has put a dampener on Klopp’s last weeks in cost — there might nonetheless be a miracle in the script — he checked out the state of affairs with attribute humour. “Obviously now I even help by not finishing on a high, so there is space for improvement,” Klopp stated.
The wringer awaits: While Slot isn’t new to media duties, he has by no means confronted something like the scrutiny the British soccer press routinely topics managers to. | Photo credit score: Getty Images
Klopp stated he preferred Slot’s model of play however added that he has not been concerned in the search course of. “It’s not up to me to judge these things, but it all sounds really good to me,” stated Klopp. “I like the way his team plays football. I don’t know him, but some people who know him say he’s a good guy. I like that a lot.”
So, what kind of coach is Liverpool getting?
Slot has been broadly praised for his modern, attacking soccer with Feyenoord. The British press has already dubbed him the ‘Dutch Pep Guardiola’, with Slot making no secret of his admiration for the Manchester City supervisor.
In addition to Guardiola, Slot’s soccer concepts have additionally been influenced by Roberto De Zerbi, Marcelo Bielsa, Jorge Sampaoli, Luciano Spalletti, Mikel Arteta and Klopp himself. Former teammates of Slot say he thought like a supervisor throughout his taking part in days, with the one-time midfielder typically discussing tactical intricacies with his coaches at FC Zwolle.
Hard taskmaster: Slot is named a passionate chief with a fierce work ethic, driving to Feyenoord’s camp earlier than daybreak, watching each coaching session, and obsessively learning future opponents. | Photo credit score: Getty Images
Meticulous, pushed, passionate
Slot is named a passionate chief with a fierce work ethic, driving to Feyenoord’s camp earlier than daybreak, watching each coaching session, and obsessively learning future opponents. This obsession with laborious work and a spotlight to element have led to outcomes at Feyenoord, seen as a staff with bodily match gamers who battle for one another and sometimes rating late objectives.
But for all Slot’s potential, the determination to decide on him as Klopp’s successor nonetheless represents a step into the unknown for Liverpool.
Before arriving in Anfield, Klopp had a historical past of success in elite soccer along with being an influential, cutting-edge tactician. The 45-year-old Slot, in distinction, has solely had 5 seasons as a head coach, all of them in the Netherlands, which doesn’t home a top-five league.
The pressures of dwelling as much as Anfield’s superb historical past, the challenges of dealing with each celebrity gamers and the invasive British soccer press, and the cut-throat aggressive depth of the Premier League: Slot has by no means skilled any of those individually depart alone collectively.
Slot has additionally by no means needed to deal with a string of poor outcomes — a testomony to his qualities, however he has not been examined in the method he now will probably be. So, how he reacts to adversity will solely be identified when he experiences it. Then there may be the Kop and its particular emotional cost that Klopp was in a position to faucet into — Slot won’t be anticipated to galvanise Liverpool followers instantly, but when he’s to have any success on Merseyside, he might want to persuade them pretty shortly.
Life after Klopp gained’t be simple for Liverpool — however the alternative of Slot actually makes it attention-grabbing.