Arne Slot Joins Liverpool: Reactions from the Football World – “He’s Incredibly Impressive”
To fully understand the impact Arne Slot has had at Liverpool since he took over in June, one needs only to consult those within his squad.
eScored has learned that at least three players at Anfield have privately remarked that Slot’s approach could have benefited the team during moments in recent seasons when they narrowly missed achieving major success.
This is not an attempt to undermine Slot’s predecessor, Jurgen Klopp, a legendary figure at Anfield who delivered unparalleled success during the Premier League era and for a significantly longer tenure than the Dutchman has had on Merseyside. The smoothness of the transition can also be attributed, in part, to Klopp having built such a strong foundation.
Slot’s meticulous attention to detail has garnered admiration, and like at his former clubs Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar, players have been impressed by his ability to anticipate game scenarios.
It’s premature for a comprehensive evaluation, considering Slot still has a considerable journey ahead before reaching Klopp’s milestones. However, early indicators are extremely positive, with Liverpool currently leading the Premier League and doing well in the group stage of the Champions League.
There is no doubt that both Liverpool’s players and fans are convinced — but what is the broader football community’s perspective?
eScored has engaged with various individuals across the industry — including coaches, executives, and backroom staff, many of whom requested anonymity to maintain professional relationships — to ascertain their views on Slot and his impressive start.
“Everyone in the game is so impressed with him,” says the director of one of Liverpool’s main Premier League competitors. “He’s likable, incredibly modest, and undeniably cool. I, like many others, have been astonished by his success. I thought Jurgen would be incredibly difficult to follow, but this man is managing himself excellently.”
This perspective is not a solitary one. There is considerable admiration within English football for how adeptly Slot is meeting the demands of managing one of the world’s largest clubs, with some teams left questioning whether they missed a chance to pursue him prior to Liverpool’s interest.
The 46-year-old conducts his business quietly. He puts in long hours at the training facility, dines predominantly at the club, and takes home a prepared meal if time is tight.
Living outside the city, he has limited interactions outside of work. During international breaks, he has spent time back in the Netherlands with his family — who visited him earlier this month when Liverpool played against Real Madrid and Manchester City — while also adjusting to life in Merseyside. It has all been quite stress-free.
Interactions with rival managers have been short but amicable. Slot maintains a composed demeanor on the sidelines, avoiding any significant disputes with opponents, despite recently serving a one-match touchline ban after accumulating three yellow cards due to frustration with refereeing decisions.
As a former colleague from one of his previous clubs tells eScored: “What you’re witnessing with Arne now is reminiscent of his time at Feyenoord. Yes, he’s calm, but he’s a competitor and advocates fiercely for his beliefs.”
Slot tends to speak straightforwardly — he didn’t hold back about the decision to substitute Jarell Quansah at half-time during his initial Premier League match at Ipswich, explaining that it was because the 21-year-old had lost too many duels, and he has since expressed his intolerance for “mediocrity” — but this is not rooted in disrespect.
Jarell Quansah was substituted at half-time against Ipswich (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola, a manager Slot has admired for years, cleverly dismissed any talk of retaliation after Slot recently joked about the 115 charges facing Manchester City (a quip he quickly clarified was in jest).
However, not all managers can easily overlook his remarks. In April 2023, while he was still at Feyenoord, Slot stirred controversy with Jose Mourinho ahead of a Europa League quarter-final against Roma, stating that while “(Roma’s) style of football delivers results, I prefer watching Manchester City and Napoli.”
These comments irritated Mourinho, leading to a heated reaction post-match, with the Portuguese manager pursuing Slot, shouting “Respect” and “Go to watch Napoli, watch Napoli now.” Slot, for his part, chose to ignore the provocation, even when his team lost 4-2 on aggregate.
The one match Liverpool has lost under Slot, against Nottingham Forest at home in September, stirred some discontent among the opposition as he was misconstrued as being disrespectful toward a club that finished in 17th place last season.
“Normally this team isn’t ending up in the top 10, so if you lose a game against them, that’s a big disappointment,” he commented — remarks that were not well received at Forest. Since then, Slot’s supposed ‘obsession’ with losing that match has become a running joke among Forest supporters.
Slot primarily maintains cordial relationships with other managers, including Pep Guardiola (Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Nevertheless, Slot appeared to merely express his observations as a newcomer to the Premier League, making comparable comments after victories over Ipswich and Brentford.
“Two solid teams, but I don’t anticipate them to finish in the top six this coming year,” he remarked, which didn’t attract nearly the same level of scrutiny.
However, that instance is an exception. By and large, there is a prevailing sentiment of respect and admiration for both Slot’s demeanor and his in-game management.
Kieran McKenna, manager of Ipswich Town, was among the first to recognize this after Liverpool struggled to cope with their opponents’ direct style in the first half at Portman Road. Slot swiftly implemented a solution, substituting Quansah for Ibrahima Konate, and Liverpool went on to secure a 2-0 victory. McKenna remarked afterward that he expected Liverpool to “have a strong season.”
This trend has continued, with Liverpool increasingly dominant in the second halves of matches after Slot has had the opportunity to analyze the opposition and devise an effective strategy, usually conveyed to his team during the half-time interval with the assistance of video clips and without any raised voices or loss of composure.
A prime example occurred against Real Madrid earlier this month, when shifting Curtis Jones into a more central role created space for Conor Bradley to advance into space along the right flank. Countless similar instances are noted.
Liverpool has contested 24 matches against 22 different opponents (they have faced both Brighton and Southampton twice) across all competitions and have emerged victorious in 20 of them. According to Opta, Slot is the fastest manager to achieve 20 wins in charge of an English top-flight club since William Sudell at Preston in 1888.
Staff from one rival team recently observed how, during a match, Slot made so many tactical adjustments that their own head coach was challenged to keep pace. Players from that same team remarked that the in-game changes were more frequent than in the previous season under Klopp, resulting in a more difficult matchup.
Yet amidst these adjustments, there is a recognition that Slot has not been presumptuous — or misguided — enough to entirely dismantle a successful formula.
“Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool excelled in transitions,” Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler stated to reporters in October. “They demonstrated considerable intensity. What I see now resembles that. They sprint back, all of them. So when they seem to be outplayed, you think you’ve breached their lines. But in two seconds, the scenario changes entirely because they all possess the mindset to defend — and that’s something exceptional.”
Liverpool’s style of play has impressed Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
One of the primary reasons Liverpool placed such immense trust in Slot this summer was their belief in his ability to cultivate and enhance the skills of the players already at the club. His task was to reintegrate those with potential who had lost their way back into form. Ryan Gravenberch, Ibrahima Konate, and Darwin Nunez are standout examples, with the progress of the first two thus far demonstrating clear improvements.
This Sunday, Slot will lead his Liverpool team against Tottenham Hotspur, the club that sought his services as a replacement for Antonio Conte in May 2023.
The qualities he has exhibited at Anfield — a humble personality, a capacity to maintain composure, effective communication skills, and a preference for organized, attacking football — have all resonated with Spurs officials, who noted these attributes last year while trying to persuade Slot to leave Feyenoord.
His commitment to nurturing young talent has also appealed to Tottenham. The club chairman, Daniel Levy, highlighted in 2021 the necessity to “select someone whose values reflect those of our great club and return to playing football with the style for which we are known — free-flowing, attacking, and entertaining — while continuing to
