21 June 2024 , 05:00
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There were over 4,000 words from Arne Slot as he spoke for the first time in an official capacity as Liverpool manager.
But the sentence which stood out was his admission that there are still people in ‘love’ with Jurgen Klopp at the club. The Dutchman is clearly aware of the task facing him and that’s coming out of the shadow of the departed German which will obviously still linger for some time around the red half of Merseyside.
“I'm 100 per cent sure that many people who are still at this club still love him,” he said.
“We have to find a way that people get used to me and used to the new staff that's coming in, and get the same energy in this building and eventually into the stadium as well because that's where it's all about – we have to perform during the games.
“But to perform there, I think it's important to have a good idea of how we want to play and a good energy within the team and within the people who are working at Liverpool.”
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The admission was as honest as it was revealing. Slot has been in position for over a month but in his first few days in Liverpool, he is feeling the Klopp factor already.
That’s the job though. Moving Liverpool forward and on from Klopp. He’s now part of the club’s illustrious history, Slot has to make his own mark. This was not an interview in which Slot was going to throw out the one-liners which made Klopp’s first press conference at Liverpool so memorable.
Arne Slot outlined his vision at Liverpool (Liverpool FC)There was no ‘Normal One’ or ‘a title in four years’ but it was also an in-house interview rather than the world’s press descending on the club’s training ground to get a question to the Dutchman.
Klopp himself said that those lines were not rehearsed before his first press conference. He was just ‘getting through it’ with his less expansive English back then.
Slot doesn’t arrive with the same fanfare as Klopp, of course. It makes his first interview more the ‘normal one’ in fact. The 45-year-old Dutchman was warm and engaging in the chat with Liverpool’s Peter McDowall as he joked about his holiday tan which he’s returned to work with.
Slot was warm and engaging in the 26-minute chatHe was happy to watch the video of Klopp singing his name and offer the pronunciation of Arne. While he won’t have given away too much of his tactical plans, he was happy to explain the changes in staff he’s made and why certain members of his team will benefit the club in different ways.
What was also clear was his attention to detail in his research so far on the squad. Watching previous training sessions and not only matches to see what he’s working with.
While there was the ambition to build on last season’s third-placed finish and make Liverpool title challengers again. He was confident and assured. But he knows the job facing him. That’s replacing Klopp. And making sure that the people fall in love with him, just like they did with his predecessor.