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NO CARBON KLOPPY
New Liverpool boss Arne Slot must plough his own furrow… he’d be stupid to follow Jurgen Klopp’s way of doing things
Our columnist sets out the minimum expectation for SLot
ARNE SLOT faces a mammoth task trying to emulate Jurgen Klopp.
But my main piece of advice is: DO NOT TRY TO COPY HIM. Be your own man, Arne.
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David Moyes after Sir Alex Ferguson, Unai Emery after Arsene Wenger, Slot after Klopp...
It’s almost impossible to follow such monumental managers at such iconic clubs.
So Slot would be stupid to, and try to change everything in a day. They’re already on to a successful and winning formula.
But I just hope for his sake he doesn’t try to play Klopp’s exact brand of high-press, gung-ho football.
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I am buzzing for the start of the new season and I cannot wait to see how managers try to overcome the different hurdles in front of each of them.
Slot’s biggest challenge is undoubtedly getting Liverpool fans on side rapidly because they have become accustomed to the way they attack.
They’re used to watching a relentless, ruthless machine who score bucketloads of goals.
They don’t care if they’re playing Manchester City or Aston Villa or Luton.
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It’s all: ‘Bang, bang, bang, we’re coming this way. This is who we are, it’s our identity.’
I was on the end of a few thrashings from Liverpool in my time.
Arne Slot to make 3 key changes at Liverpool
They were almost impossible to play against and the fans will want Slot to recreate the Klopp glory days, immediately.
But he should try to sever that tie as soon as possible and send a message to his team, the fans and the rest of the Premier League: This is my time and this is my brand of football.
Along with the rest of us, Liverpool supporters should know exactly what Slot is about after three games — starting with tomorrow's trip to Ipswich.
He could not have asked for an easier first Premier League match, really.
So I expect them to win but I will be watching the performance like a hawk.
That’s the most important thing. He’s had a pre-season to get his ideas across but it’s a different kettle of fish being thrown into the fire and brimstone of the Premier League.
So things may not click straight away.
But as long as it’s obvious what he is trying to do and the players are clearly trying to implement his ideas, Liverpool fans can sleep easy.
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What they have said about Arne Slot
MATT WADE, head of sporting strategy at Feyenoord
"He is a brilliant communicator, and consultative, but also clear at the same time.
"He is quite cautious, quite introverted, but very rule based and principled, which means everyone knows where they stand.
"And he is not paranoid, which allows freedom for specialists to operate.”
SANDER WESTERVELD, former Liverpool goalkeeper and team-mate of Arne Slot
"When I played with Arne at Sparta, you could see that he would become a coach.
"He was a leader, a No10 midfielder and someone who would change tactics by himself.
"The job he has done at Feyenoord makes him the perfect fit for Liverpool."
Dutch football journalist MARCEL VAN DER KRAAN
"I’ve followed Feyenoord for 40 years. Not since the days of Johan Cruyff at Ajax in the 1980s has there been a coach so attack-minded in the Dutch league.
"Cruyff only had a few disciples who followed him and one of them was Pep Guardiola."
Arsenal star REISS NELSON who played 31 games under Slot on loan at Feyenoord
"I felt like Arne Slot is a great manager. He really got me into my rhythm.
"He gave me a lot of opportunities to play and I excelled."
The problem is, when your team is expected to be at the top of the table, Slot must develop his players and implement his style at the same time as delivering consistent results.
He has to get top four minimum. Anything less and he should be out the door.
Because, let’s be honest, their squad is still a joke.
They have elite world-level stars in Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Their midfield is hardly bad and Alisson is also in the planet’s top three keepers.
Even Darwin Nunez is an outstanding team player.
If Slot can calm him down in front of goal, the Uruguayan would be a completely different player and those sitters he missed last season could deliver another 11 or 12 points this time around.
Klopp has botched his Liverpool exit… and it’s cost him his legacy, says Dave Kidd
By Dave Kidd
NOW we know Jurgen Klopp’s final major trophy haul at Liverpool — one Champions League, one Premier League, one FA Cup, two League Cups and (if you must) a World Club Cup.
But where does his reign stand among the greatest of the Premier League era?
In black-and-white terms, Klopp is way behind Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola, the only two men to have won multiple Premier Leagues and a Champions League at the same club.
Those two sit alongside Brian Clough, Bob Paisley and Sir Matt Busby as the undoubted all-time managerial greats of the English game.
But Klopp ranks in the next tier down — with Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho (the Chelsea version), Bill Shankly and Don Revie.
These were all men with the strength of character to transform their clubs in their own image and enjoy success but who did not win as much as they might have done.
Had Klopp managed to keep his intentions under wraps and ended up with another title, perhaps even a treble or quadruple, he’d have edged himself up into that highest echelon with Ferguson, Guardiola, Clough, Paisley and Busby.
But deciding the timing and the manner of your exit is one of the toughest calls for any manager or sportsman.
Klopp got it wrong.
Read Dave Kidd’s take on Klopp’s demise in full here.
Or click here to check out all of Dave Kidd’s articles.
All of this is obviously easier said than done.
And given the instant judgment from players when a new manager joins a club, Slot’s tenure may have been made or broken already.
The early days are absolutely vital.
Especially as he will be constantly battling to emerge from Klopp’s shadow.
All of his firsts are huge. First meeting, first training session and, of course, his first competitive game.
And, look, I had 16 managers at Watford, so I know what I am talking about more than most.
I worked under a vast array of people.
Marco Silva arrived and he was straight in with: “This is what we’re doing, how we are doing it and this is what I expect.
“Get on board or get out.”
You knew where you stood.
But I’ve had other managers come in and pussyfoot around with English that wasn’t great.
They’d be getting words muddled up and having stuff get lost in translation.
And you’d know instantly they were not going to last.
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So Liverpool’s players will have made their mind up on Slot already.
And tomorrow will be a perfect indication of whether they are having him or not.
