Liverpool FC has found its new coach. Arne Slot (45) is set to follow in the footsteps of Jürgen Klopp, even if he is actually emulating Pep Guardiola
If the coach, who succeeds the living club legend Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool FC, were to try a completely different style, he might have lost out with the Reds’ fans from the outset. At least Feyenoord coach Arne Slot, who put an end to all speculation on Friday, is unlikely to face that.
“I can confirm that I will be the new coach there,” he said at a press conference. The official press releases from both clubs will be published shortly, the 45-year-old continued. He will officially say goodbye to Feyenoord immediately after their final game of the season against Excelsior Rotterdam next Sunday.
Slot, who made over 200 appearances in the Eredivisie as a midfielder, has been head coach since 2019. His first stop was AZ Alkmaar, where he picked up 19 points from his first eight league games – no coach had ever started better in the Dutch top flight. Slot then joined Feyenoord in 2021
His intense soccer with the 4-3-3 formation and aggressive attacking pressing resembled the soccer Klopp had played successfully for years – but also that of Pep Guardiola, who Slot describes as his great inspiration, thanks to the neat build-up play from the back. Like Guardiola, he is a “control freak”, the 45-year-old Dutchman once said.
With Alkmaar, Slot finished his first season, which was prematurely cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic, level on points with leaders Ajax. With Feyenoord, he reached the Conference League final at his first attempt in 2021/22 (0:1 against José Mourinho’s AS Roma), and a year later he led the traditional club to its first championship in six years. This season, Slots Feyenoord finished runners-up behind the outstanding PSV Eindhoven under coach Peter Bosz.
