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The tagline of the recent Wimbledon Championships was ‘Always Like Never Before’. There’s something compelling about that mantra, especially through a Liverpool lens.
It captures the essence of an event that can be relied upon to provide new stars, hit new heights and elicit new feelings.
On the other hand, change is uncomfortable.
There was never a comfort zone with Jurgen Klopp – the translator in Salzburg would have found that out when misquoting his captain in 2019 – but the German’s “competition mood” has now left the building, if not the murals around L4.
Klopp did everything in his power to make the new man welcome. From the very moment he strode out on the Anfield pitch to say goodbye after the 2-0 win over Wolves last season, the 57-year-old could see beyond his legacy.
The Arne Slot chant was an invite that the crowd could not turn down. It was a very clever move in the Dutchman’s absence.
Now it is up to the supporters to make the best versions of the new song. Liverpool do not want a shotgun marriage with the newbie. Nor do they want a slow romance that doesn’t activate the Reds’ greatest weapon – Anfield.
Comparisons and mentality
The opening dance at home will set the tone. Awkward first steps are allowed. Poor results are too – to some extent. Comparisons will be hard to avoid though.
The change at the top is a psychological barrier already for the fan base. Under Klopp, there was absolute confidence of success within the fickle fortunes of elite football.
There was a certainty they had a man who could fight for at least one of the big prizes every year. He connected on all levels too. Everyone felt important. Everyone was important.
Liverpool did not lose many League games under his peak leadership years from 2018 onwards. In 2018/19, they lost one. In 2021/22, they lost two. Even up to the desolate 33rd match day against Crystal Palace last season, there were only a couple of setbacks.
One of those reverses was the nine souls who almost grabbed a point against all realistic odds, a Keystone Cops VAR room, and Tottenham.
The former Feyenoord boss isn’t asking for patience, though. In fact, he is already making positive noises about upping the total from last season.
“I think in the end we would all love to see Liverpool a bit higher than third place and this is the challenge we are facing now – to build on from what we have,” Slot explained in his first club interview.
“I have all the confidence in this because of the players, that we can add a few things where we hopefully can get a bit more points than 82.”
Strangely enough, his Eredivisie team won the title in 2022/23 with 82 points (playing four games less). In his second and final campaigns, there were only two losses. He’s never lost consecutive league games in the Dutch top flight.
PSV won the title last season because of a freakish Manchester City-style barrage of wins. There’s a thread here that bodes well.
This is Slot’s runway now
Slot’s first public game in charge is against Real Betis in the City of Steel, Pittsburgh.
Liverpool’s best days in the last decade were when the players wore body armour borne out of sheer bloody-mindedness.
Klopp’s sides never laid down their weapons. It’s the minimum requirement for the head coach. But Slot has other advantages on entry.
In 2015, the blood and the energy had drained from Brendan Rodgers and the Anfield crowd. Klopp could ask for time to build the project as there was no pre-season for him either.
If it’s important what people think when a manager leaves, then the answer is pretty clear. Liverpool 2024 is the house that Jurgen built.
Slot’s man management and sensitivity to issues off the pitch have been documented. What really matters is the step up to the Premier League‘s helter-skelter.
This is where it could get messy for the Dutchman. He has inherited quality, fantastic training facilities and the huge expectations of spectators who have been actively engaged in trophy hunts for the majority of the last nine years.
He has to take off at full speed down the runway. The honeymoon period will be short if the Reds slip seven or eight points behind City and Arsenal early. They need to be in the equation if not favourites for number 20.
The tennis analogy is relevant. The 2023 and 2024 Carlos Alcaraz vs. Novak Djokovic tussle on Centre Court was a mini-version of the 2019 and 2022 Man City and Liverpool epics that went down to the wire.
Liverpool’s 45-year-old head coach did name-check the Serb’s ability to win through in extremis when things aren’t going so well.
When the charisma of what went before was so powerful, the slipstream can be a very difficult place to navigate.
Slot will have to make his own history. “You don’t take history in your backpack and carry it with you,” said his predecessor on that famous October day back in 2015.
Slot will be well advised to mark new ground and make new stories. He must do it his way.
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