Mark Lawrenson has given a positive appraisal of Arne Slot from what he’s heard coming out of the Liverpool dressing room.
The Dutchman has taken on the unenviable task of succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, but a series of encouraging pre-season results and performances – along with an away win in his first Premier League game – has enabled him to get off to an ideal start.
The former LFC defender was speaking on Off The Ball when he declared that the 45-year-old is largely amenable but won’t hesitate to reaffirm who’s boss.
Lawrenson said of Slot: “The rumour and the talk from the dressing room is that he’s very good. He very much talks to everybody about everything. He’s a nice fella, but they reckon he has something about him where he won’t be frightened to make major decisions.”
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Lawrenson’s comments would appear to tally with what we’ve seen of Slot on the touchline and in his dealings with the media.
Much like his predecessor, the Liverpool head coach seems to carry himself with good grace and comes across with an affable personality, but he’ll be straight-up about his opinions not just behind closed doors but also in public.
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There’s been plenty of reaction to his candid post-match verdict after the win over Ipswich on Saturday, when he didn’t pull any punches about his dissatisfaction with the first-half performance, a sentiment which was borne out in his withdrawal of Jarell Quansah at half-time.
The early indications are that Slot strikes the right balance between approachability and authority. He seems like someone who’s easy to get along with, while at the same time not suffering fools gladly and being open and honest with his players.
It’ll take another few weeks at least (possibly months) before a more definitive verdict is established about his work at Liverpool, but for the time being he appears to be hitting the right tone and earning respect very quickly, something which can be hard to achieve as the immediate successor to a club icon.
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Arne looks good so far, but I’m concerned about the exodus out of the club. Young players are leaving the club yet they are the foundation for the future. Senior players are not signing new contracts and there’s a likelihood that the will quit on free transfers. Something doesn’t tot up here.
We’re not seeing any new signings. Someone has to explain here. Hughes, Edwards and Slot seem to love to keep us guessing and anxious.
Consider the amount of games that we have to play this season. All those cups plus the league.
Does the club have enough depth?
Remember injuries are inevitable. Do we have what it takes to end the season with any silverware?
Bajcetic, Doak, Morton, Danns, etc ae supposed to stay and bridge the gap. Hughes , Slot and Edwards please clarify these issues to us.