Arne Slot has only taken charge of three competitive games for Liverpool so far, although 100 days have now elapsed since he officially began his role as the club’s head coach.
A detailed collaborative article for The Athletic examined the impact that he’s had across various strands such as tactics, substitutions, personnel management and working with young players.
It was noted within the piece that ‘his aura has been felt around the AXA Training Centre and Anfield’ and that there’s been an ‘uplifting feeling in his presence’.
The article continued: “He’s positive about everything and that’s infectious. The way he speaks to support staff has not gone unnoticed by some of the longer-serving people behind the scenes and his openness to listen has been well received.”
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Slot’s reign at Liverpool will ultimately be defined by results on the pitch and how many trophies are collected during his time in charge, but tangible success only comes through the daily application of best practices on and off the pitch.
Just as Klopp was renowned for making plenty of time for the club’s support staff, his successor also appears to be doing so, and that sense of community behind the scenes will feed into whatever on-field glory the Reds enjoy on the 45-year-old’s watch.
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Had the Dutchman taken an autocratic approach and/or put noises out of joint among employees in the background, it’d be hard to think that such animosity wouldn’t have a negative impact on the first team’s performances if the culture at Kirkby and Anfield is poisoned with bad blood.
Thankfully, Slot’s demeanour carries an air of authenticity and good grace, and the report stressed that he’s determined not to ‘put on an act’ and try to be a carbon copy of his legendary predecessor’s character.
The appointment as to who’d replace Klopp was always going to be an incredibly delicate one, given the legacy that the German left behind. While it might be very early days in the new head coach’s reign, results on the pitch and anecdotal evidence away from the cameras show that the club have made a very astute hiring decision.
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