‘But when Slot is at Anfield, he doesn’t notice anything’

• Thierry Boon

  editor/reporter NOS Sport

As Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher in the live broadcast of Sky Sports When asked about the possible arrival of Arne Slot, he chooses his words carefully. “It’s not like when Rafael Benítez or Jurgen Klopp came in here.”

Although Dutch football fans and followers have long been impressed by Slot’s football vision, performance, charisma and eloquence, the Feyenoord coach from Bergentheim in England is still an average coach. Until proven otherwise.

“Most fans I speak to do not hide their disappointment,” says James Worthy, the author of ‘Liverpool’, which has been named the best sports book of the year 2022.

According to Worthy, a passionate fan himself, the disappointment is not solely due to Slot. “It may sound pathetic, but Klopp has made my life considerably better. He is a demigod. Anyone who comes after him feels like a few steps back.”

Winning the KNVB Cup? Nice. The premier league? Good. Making it to the Conference League final? Very fine. But that doesn’t make you a Liverpool coach, says Carragher, who played for ‘The Reds’ his entire career. “From Feyenoord to Liverpool is a huge step.”

Benítez had won two national titles and the UEFA Cup as coach of Valencia before moving to the Premier League. Klopp became German champion twice with Borussia Dortmund and reached the final of the Champions League.

Or, closer to home, take Erik ten Hag. He has been struggling at Manchester United for some time now, but when he came over from Ajax two years ago, his appointment was perfectly acceptable in England.

With three national titles and a first ranking (in the 2019/2020 season that was not completed due to Covid), two KNVB cups and a Johan Cruijff Scale, Ten Hag’s trophy cabinet was well filled.

Above all, reaching the semi-finals in the Champions League, with dazzling football, made an impression. Because that is what is seen in England. The results on the Dutch football fields are not determined.

“But I do have the idea that the more people read and hear about Slot, the better they understand why it can be a good match with Liverpool,” says James Pearce, who follows the club on behalf of The Athletic.

Liverpool follower: ‘Initially there was a lot of surprise when Slot’s name came up’

“His style of playing football, with a lot of energy and high pressure, is a bit similar to Klopp’s. Slot is also a good communicator and speaks excellent English, which is also important,” said Pearce.

“The fans may be a little disappointed now, but when Slot walks into Anfield in a few months, he won’t feel anything,” claims writer Worthy.

“You’ll Never Walk Alone (the club’s anthem and motto, ed.) is of course more than a song. In Liverpool we don’t walk hand in hand, like at Feyenoord, but heart in heart.”

In Klopp’s last year, the league title seems to be out of sight for Liverpool after Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat at Everton. The League Cup was won, but what remains most memorable is the humiliating elimination against Atalanta Bergamo in the Europa League.

In that respect, the entry point for Slot is not that unfavorable at all. Of course, Klopp is a legend at Liverpool, but his last season is not exactly legendary, Worthy must also acknowledge.

“Klopp leaves behind a wonderful photo book, but the last pages are perhaps a bit disappointing,” the author describes. “Slot will nevertheless start with a team that is better than what Klopp ever started with.”

He has to make important decisions immediately, says journalist Pearce. “Is Darwin Núñez the striker who will take Liverpool to the next level? Routiniers Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk are heading towards their final year of contract. And Slot is expected to work with talents.”

It will take some getting used to for everything and everyone around Liverpool. No longer the fanatical German, with his characteristic cap and white smile, on the couch. But 45-year-old Arend Martijn Slot, former playmaker of PEC Zwolle and NAC Breda.

“I love Klopp. And I will love Slot too,” says writer Worthy. “My wife will ask next season if I am in love with Arne. Then I will say: ‘Yes, I am in Lock’.”