It wasn’t just anyone that left. It was the coach who brought Liverpool their first Premier League title after three decades. A man who had gotten so deeply under the skin of everyone in Liverpool that it sometimes seemed like his grandmother was from there. And when Jurgen Klopp finally realized he no longer had the energy to play the role of rock star at iconic Anfield weekend after weekend, images of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger flashed through everyone’s minds – because such giants retain a gravitational pull even when they step away, often dragging the club down with them.Arne Slot, moreover, was nothing like Klopp. If the German was the embodiment of heavy-metal football, the Dutchman resembled a zen master in meditation. In situations where Klopp would turn to the stands, pound his chest, and demand support, Slot would calmly sit on the bench reading the official match program. Klopp was pure emotion. Slot is pure mind.Slotted. Triumphed. Celebrated!Yet, when Richard Hughes, brought in as sporting director specifically to find Klopp’s successor, assessed the options, he judged that Slot was the closest match to the charismatic German – in footballing terms, at least. Well, maybe not the closest; it’s no secret Liverpool’s first choice was Xabi Alonso, but he ruled himself out of contention. Ruben Amorim, then still coaching Sporting Lisbon, was also an option, but Hughes ultimately sided with Slot – more on that later.Slot was there strictly for football. So, what exactly did he change?##NAJAVA_MECA_8883664##The team itself? Not really. This was fundamentally the same squad that in Klopp’s final season had only managed to win the League Cup, finished third in the Premier League – well behind Arsenal and Manchester City – and didn’t even play in the Champions League because they’d finished fifth the previous year. They were also eliminated from the Europa League by Atalanta. Hughes had desperately wanted Martin Zubimendi for the holding midfield role but failed to secure him, managing instead only the arrivals of Giorgi Mamardashvili (who stayed on loan at Valencia) and Federico Chiesa (who played just 33 minutes in the Premier League).🏆 Jurgen Klopp 2019/20🏆 Arne Slot 2024/25LIVERPOOL HERITAGE pic.twitter.com/GORt62LllJ— Premier League India (@PLforIndia) April 27, 2025 Slot never even tried to pretend he was Klopp’s younger brother, carrying the same magnetism that gathered people around a shared goal. Slot delayed his official unveiling for five weeks after taking over, so as not to step into the spotlight while the public was still wiping away tears over Klopp’s departure. He left his family back in Zwolle so his children could finish school and lived alone in an apartment – unlike Klopp, who had moved into the former residence of Brendan Rodgers and before him, Steven Gerrard.That absence of ego allowed Slot to accept Klopp’s system and simply improve it. Again, the question: how?Van Dijk follows Salah and signs a new Liverpool contactIt started with small adjustments – for example, training sessions began earlier, at 9.15 AM, and everyone had to have breakfast together, which hadn’t been required before. Players were also allowed to sleep at home before home matches; the traditional pre-game hotel quarantine was abolished. The reason? Scientific.”People who know more about this than I do told me you always sleep better in your own bed than in a hotel. And sleep is crucial – it prepares players better for matches,” Slot explained.Liverpool break the rule just to sign Salah!One of the most noticeable differences is in the number of kilometers Liverpool players sprinted at full speed. Under Klopp, it was direct, heavy-metal football; under Slot, the team focused more on possession, on slower instruments. Liverpool players also suffered only 37 injuries this season (for comparison, Brighton had 68, Manchester United and Arsenal 58 each), missing a total of only 816 games due to injury. In contrast, Brighton players missed twice as many days, and City and Arsenal over 1,100 days each, with United at an astonishing 1,400.##NAJAVA_MECA_8884588##But all this would mean little if Liverpool weren’t playing better. And that’s where Slot’s calm, almost professorial approach comes in. He was patient enough to organize daily meetings with players to review what was done in matches or training. He was particularly obsessed with player positioning, insisting on it even during rondo drills. Today, those one or two-touch exercises are an essential part of Liverpool’s training.”If an attacker beat me, Slot would single it out in meetings and individual talks, saying it must not happen. We go through every match together, and he tells us where to improve. It’s refreshing to have a coach who helps and teaches you how to be a better footballer,” said Ibrahima Konate.Arne Slot is a Premier League title winner. Not only did he win the title with Liverpool in his very first season in England, but he is also one of the youngest managers to win the competition: https://t.co/Um7gooibYd pic.twitter.com/fAteMGB5sn— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) April 27, 2025 Konate explained further:”He showed us a lot of footage. He would point out when someone didn’t sprint or stopped at some point and say: ‘See, he didn’t run here. Why? Because I praised you?’ He would tell the truth to everyone – to Mo, to Virgil, to anyone who made a mistake. Every player thought: he watches me every day, every training. I have to give 100% all the time.”The biggest improvement came from Ryan Gravenberch, whom Slot moved to defensive midfield after failing to sign Zubimendi. Klopp had used Wataru Endo there last season, but Gravenberch raised the bar (only West Ham’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka made more interceptions this season). Alexander-Arnold, who under Klopp had tirelessly bombed up and down the flank, now has fewer assists because he’s tasked less with crossing and more with hitting long balls toward Salah immediately. As a result, Salah exploded, scoring 28 goals and providing 18 assists just in the Premier League. ##EDITORS_CHOICE##Slot gave him space, pulling back both the fullback and the central midfielder on his side. And he gave Salah something else:”Look at the numbers. Now I don’t have to defend as much. The tactics are different. I told the coach: ‘If you free me from defensive duties, I’ll deliver up front.’ And I’m glad I did. He listened to me, and you see the results,” explained Salah, who has meanwhile signed a new two-year contract.Cody Gakpo revived, Luis Diaz looks great, and it feels like everyone breathed easier now that Klopp’s intense 4-3-3 Gegenpressing is being less strictly enforced. Slot prefers a more structured 4-2-3-1, keeping possession longer and allowing players to rest more. He also isn’t afraid to shuffle roles: against Manchester City away, for example, he started Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai as false nines. It was Liverpool’s first away win against City since Pep Guardiola became manager.Slot responds to ‘strange’ Owen remarksOn top of that, Slot knows how to read a game. Although he rarely changed his starting 11 – Van Dijk, Salah, and Gravenberch started every league match this season – his substitutions delivered 13 goals. How many times did Liverpool start a game poorly but turn it around after halftime? Only once, against Southampton in March, did Slot rage at halftime; in all other games, he simply drew diagrams on the board. Every time, the team looked better after the break.Naturally, confidence grew. Sure, it’s easier after winning 11 out of Slot’s first 12 matches. But to win the Premier League title in Round 34, with 15 points more than Arsenal and currently 21 more than Manchester City? Not even Klopp at his most joyous behind a drum set could have played such a crazy tune.##NAJAVA_MECA_8884656##
