Liverpool Football Club has targeted Dutch coach Arne Slott as Jurgen Klopp’s successor.
Although Ruben Amorim was in the foreground for a long time, the chances that the Portuguese will take over the team from “Enfield” are decreasing. “Reds” fans hoped for Xabi Alonso, but the Spaniard decided to stay at Bayer from Leverkusen, while the exact reasons why Ruben Amorim is no longer the first choice are not known.
Arne Slott is the man who is in pole position to take over Jurgen Klopp’s “legacy” and many are surprised by the choice of the club, that is, director Michael Edwards, who has accepted to return to Liverpool and is already working even though he has not yet been officially presented.
As a reminder, as sporting director, Edwards negotiated the most important transfers in Jurgen Klopp’s era and created a modern Liverpool with players such as Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, Gini Wijnaldum, Alisson Becker, Fabinho…
In the club, they are looking for a similar profile of a coach like Jurgen Klopp and have included various metrics to make sure everything matches up. The current coach of Feyenoord is someone whose team also gains possession through intense pressing. A team that likes to create situations through pass play. He plays in a similar formation with a high back line in the attacking phase, while the full-backs have freedom.
In 2021, Slott took over Feyenoord when he came from AZ Alkmaar and from then until today, his team, counting the seven strongest European leagues, has taken away the most possession from the rival in the last third – 722 times. In second place is Liverpool with 706.
His team came back from a losing situation the most times, 62 times. Guess which team they share that top spot with? With Liverpool, of course.
Slott has very similar numbers in terms of expected goals, shots on target, touches in the opponent’s penalty area, corners, allowed passes from rivals in defensive settings… The numbers agree – Arne Slott is a coach who, according to those parameters, could be the ideal successor to Jürgen A knock.
But it’s not the numbers that bring the results. It is necessary to create a relationship with players who are far bigger stars than those Arne Slott has coached so far. Chemistry is needed, as well as the repair of certain parts of the field.
What Edwards’ metrics can’t measure is the pressure Anfield brings with it. Although the iconic stadium shares the same song with “De Cap”, as well as an atmosphere that stands out in European frameworks, mistakes in ambitions are paid dearly in Liverpool.
