Arne Slott gave his first interview as head coach of Liverpool FC, and we’ve extracted five key takeaways from the Dutchman now in charge of the Reds.
1. Focus on the training ground – and building relationships
Asked what his focus will be and his coaching style, Slott emphasized his desire to make an impact on the practice field.
“When I come in the first few days, the first week that I’m here, I’m going to be really focused on the training ground,” he said.
“I think there’s a place where you can have the most impact and you have to have the most impact, because you have to impact your players, which is common to the (model) of the game and your game plan.
And I think that’s what it’s all about – finding the way to play that works best for the players and then maybe adjust a little bit with the game plan where we can win a few things.”
The interview talks about similarities with former boss Jurgen Klopp, and one certainly stems from Slott’s focus on being a people person and having strong relationships with those at the club:
“But it’s all tactics and I think there’s something else about being a head coach or a manager or whatever you want to call it, which is the relationships you have with people.
“The relationships I have with my staff, but also the players, how they get on with each other and the relationships between the staff and the players – and I think that was one of the things, looking at it from the outside, where Jürgen was great in as well as the style of play .
“It’s a challenge because I’m 100 percent sure that a lot of people who are still at this club still love him. We have to find a way for people to get used to me and the new staff coming in, and to get the same energy in this building, and eventually in the stadium, because that’s where we work – we have to perform during the game.
“But to perform there, I think it’s important to have a good idea of how we want to play and a good energy within the team and the people who work at Liverpool.”
2. Studying at Liverpool’s training last season
As well as knowing the basic facts of what happened at Liverpool last season, Slott explained how he watched not only the games but also the Reds’ training sessions – where he saw the “culture” that Jurgen Klopp has created at the club.
“There are two things (why) do it (..) to learn more about the players because you mostly see them during the games. And you want to know what the culture is like, how they train and what they’re used to.
“I think it’s always interesting if you’re the successor of Jürgen Klopp and Pepijn Lijnders, who works a lot on the training ground, to see what their ideas were on the pitch.
“I said this, we all try to steal something from each other – mostly it’s by watching the games, but if you see how they train, it can only help you.
“Let’s make one thing clear: the players will not have the same drills again – we will implement our own. But it’s interesting to see what they did during the week as well.”
3. Previous conversations with players
The new Reds coach revealed how he has spoken to some players so far, especially captain and compatriot Virgil van Dijk:
“I approached a few of them – all after Jürgen left, because I thought it was really important to be fair to Jürgen and to be fair to the players.
“Because they had to finish the season and I don’t think I would have been very happy if my successor had called the players before I left the club.
“Then I think it’s normal to start with the captain, which is Virgil (van Dijk), which is easy for me because we can speak Dutch!
“And from there I invited a few more, but not many because most of them are preparing, or are currently playing, for the Euros, and some others are preparing for the Copa America.
“So I think the best way is to keep a certain distance, but also to be interested in them. And hoping that most of them will – especially the Dutch! – will continue to be as long as possible in order to reach the final.
“Then I’ll meet them later and I think that’s a better way to get to know each other than over the phone or Zoom meetings.”
4. Similarities with Feyenoord as a club
While Feyenoord may not be a club the size of Liverpool, there are some similarities with the city and the type of people and fans, which Slott noted:
“I said before, there are several similarities between Feyenoord and Liverpool. Both are riverside towns, people work on the docks, it’s a hardworking working class, fans who love to see the team.
“I think these clubs like Feyenoord and Liverpool, as far as I’ve seen, it just means a little more to the fans, it just means a little more if the team is doing well than some other places around the world.
“That’s what I felt at Feyenoord and I expect to feel the same here at Anfield.”
5. Arne’s message to fans
Pressed for a final message to fans, the 45-year-old had some words of wisdom about the change:
“It’s a change, but I hope it’s not that big of a change, because we still have the same players, we still have the same fans – and if they both do the same job, it will make my life a lot easier!
“I expect it to come up again next season and the same for the players. I will do everything in my interest and be able to lead the team in the best possible way.”
