Finding the right candidate to fill Jurgen Klopp’s shoes was always going to be an arduous task given Liverpool’s resurgent success under his watch.
The celebrated Merseyside club had lost some of its aura during the Premier League era and needed a talismanic figure to restore its reputation. In Klopp, Liverpool found just the man.
Transformational era
Since his appointment in 2015, Klopp has transformed the club into one of the most dominant forces in European football. During his nine-year reign, Liverpool won a full set of trophies.
The Champions League win in 2019 was arguably Klopp’s biggest victory, given the tournament’s pre-eminence, but perhaps even sweeter — in terms of what it meant as a moment — was the end of Liverpool’s 30-year wait for an English league title in 2020.
Klopp has become an icon for fans, with his trademark post-match fist pump to the crowd an example of the connection he has with them. So it was no surprise that Liverpool supporters were stunned in January by his decision to stand down because he was “running out of energy”.
Liverpool set about identifying Klopp’s successor fully aware of the consequences of getting it wrong. Michael Edwards, recently appointed “chief executive of football” for Liverpool owner FSG, oversaw the process. Edwards was the club’s former sporting director and had a key role in Klopp’s success, which included the signings of Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk.
As part of the search, Liverpool looked for candidates who would suit a squad assembled to play Klopp’s high-pressing tactics. They also needed to have the personality to take charge at one of the world’s biggest clubs.
For a long period, Xabi Alonso looked like the perfect fit after the former Liverpool player ended Bayern Munich’s dominance of German soccer. Liverpool never publicly confirmed interest in Alonso, but he put an end to the speculation, committing his future to Bayer Leverkusen.
Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim was another contender, but ESPN reported that his loyalty to his 3-4-3 formation was a stumbling block — with Amorim reluctant to compromise on his tactical philosophy, the cost of hiring him amounted to more than his release clause (€15 million) and salary expectations (in the region of €12 million a year). Liverpool also had to factor in the cost of the squad upheaval that would result from recruiting for a different system of play.
Betting on Slot
Liverpool eventually zeroed in on Feyenoord manager Arne Slot, who had been heavily linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur last year.
Slot, who moved to Feyenoord in 2021 after impressing in his first managerial role at AZ Alkmaar, led the Rotterdam club in their first season together to the final of the inaugural Europa Conference League, which it narrowly lost to Jose Mourinho’s Roma. Slot then delivered just a second league title in 24 years to Feyenoord and added the Dutch Cup this year.
While Slot has a winning pedigree with Feyenoord, that record will not guarantee success in England. Liverpool need only look at Erik ten Hag’s struggles at Manchester United to know how difficult it can be for a winning coach to adapt to a new league.
Ten Hag won three Dutch titles with Ajax, but faces uncertainty over his future at Old Trafford after a troubled season that looks likely to see United fail to qualify for the Champions League.
An advantage for Slot would be the fact that he takes over a team on the up after Klopp rebuilt his all-conquering squad over the past two years. Despite losing key players like Sadio Mane, Jordan Henderson and Roberto Firmino, Liverpool has quickly returned to title contention and won the League Cup in February with seven players of his team in the final aged 21 or under.
Although Klopp and Liverpool were hoping to end their association on a high, with another Premier League title, the recent defeat at Everton and draw against West Ham have hurt their chances. Liverpool was also eliminated in the Europa League quarterfinals by Atalanta.
While that has put a dampener on Klopp’s final weeks in charge — there could still be a miracle in the script — he looked at the situation with characteristic humour. “Obviously now I even help by not finishing on a high, so there is space for improvement,” Klopp said.
Klopp said he liked Slot’s style of play but added that he has not been involved in the search process. “It’s not up to me to judge these things, but it all sounds really good to me,” said Klopp. “I like the way his team plays football. I don’t know him, but some people who know him say he’s a good guy. I like that a lot.”
So, what sort of coach is Liverpool getting?
Slot has been widely praised for his innovative, attacking football with Feyenoord. The British press has already dubbed him the ‘Dutch Pep Guardiola’, with Slot making no secret of his admiration for the Manchester City manager.
In addition to Guardiola, Slot’s football ideas have also been influenced by Roberto De Zerbi, Marcelo Bielsa, Jorge Sampaoli, Luciano Spalletti, Mikel Arteta and Klopp himself. Former teammates of Slot say he thought like a manager during his playing days, with the one-time midfielder often discussing tactical intricacies with his coaches at FC Zwolle.
Meticulous, driven, passionate
Slot is known as a passionate leader with a fierce work ethic, driving to Feyenoord’s camp before dawn, watching every training session, and obsessively studying future opponents. This obsession with hard work and attention to detail have led to results at Feyenoord, seen as a team with physically fit players who fight for each other and often score late goals.
But for all Slot’s ability, the decision to choose him as Klopp’s successor still represents a step into the unknown for Liverpool.
Before arriving in Anfield, Klopp had a history of success in elite football in addition to being an influential, cutting-edge tactician. The 45-year-old Slot, in contrast, has only had five seasons as a head coach, all of them in the Netherlands, which doesn’t house a top-five league.
The pressures of living up to Anfield’s glorious history, the challenges of dealing with both superstar players and the invasive British football press, and the cut-throat competitive depth of the Premier League: Slot has never experienced any of these individually leave alone together.
Slot has also never had to deal with a string of poor results — a testament to his qualities, but he has not been tested in the manner he now will be. So, how he reacts to adversity will only be known when he experiences it. Then there is the Kop and its special emotional charge that Klopp was able to tap into — Slot will not be expected to galvanise Liverpool fans immediately, but if he is to have any success on Merseyside, he will need to convince them fairly quickly.
Life after Klopp won’t be easy for Liverpool — but the choice of Slot certainly makes it interesting.
