James Pearce has heaped praise on Arne Slot after the Dutchman’s tremendous start to life as Liverpool head coach.
The 46-year-old took on the formidable task of succeeding the iconic Jurgen Klopp during the summer but so far he’s showing that he’s up to the challenge, winning nine of his first 10 matches in charge and guiding the Reds to the top of the Premier League.
As the season pauses for the latest international break, The Athletic summoned its LFC writers to take stock of how the campaing has gone so far for the six-time champions of Europe.
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Pearce says Slot already ‘belongs’ at Liverpool
When asked what has most impressed him about Slot up to now, Pearce replied: “His authenticity. He hasn’t tried to be someone he’s not. I think he’s struck a really good balance between being respectful to Klopp and his achievements, but backing himself to succeed.
“The step up from Feyenoord is huge with the pressure and scrutiny that come with managing Liverpool but he looks like he belongs at Anfield.
“He has showcased his coaching acumen with the changes he’s made to how the team sets up and the in-game tweaks he has made. He’s a good communicator and his attention to detail has really stood out.”
Slot has taken the Liverpool job in his stride so far
Pearce’s comment that Slot ‘looks like he belongs at Anfield’ after just 10 competitive games in the job is a testament to how commendably the Dutchman has taken to replacing a legendary manager at one of the biggest clubs in world football.
Whereas David Moyes looked overawed as Alex Ferguson’s successor at Manchester United, and Roy Hodgson found the Liverpool job way too big for him, the 46-year-old seems very comfortable in his pressurised surroundings, striking a positive rapport with his players and most of the British media.
The ex-Feyenoord boss has shown that he’s not afraid to impose his own stamp on proceedings after Klopp’s much-celebrated reign, altering the Reds’ standard formation and reinventing Ryan Gravenberch as a number 6 to spectacular effect, along with ruthlessly making substitutions that he feels are needed.
There are far bigger tests to come for Slot, of course, and he’s been at pains to stress that his record so far at Anfield counts for nothing until tangible success is achieved.
However, a combination of a calm, assured public demeanour and a sequence of good results on the pitch indicate that Liverpool made a very shrewd appointment in the Dutchman, who as Pearce rightly says has sensibly tweaked rather than drastically torn up the empire that Klopp built.