Arne Slot first sat up in the stands at Anfield in 2017, when managing Dutch lower-league side Cambuur Leeuwarden, and he was taken aback – not necessarily by the noise but the belief and togetherness.
He was in England upon the invitation of his good friend and compatriot Pepijn Lijnders, who was Liverpool’s assistant manager until he left to join RB Salzburg this summer, and Slot was here to discuss potential loan signings, with Pedro Chirivella his top target.
Perching next to assistant sporting director Julian Ward, Slot was in town on a business trip but enjoyed the match and occasion, a 2-0 win over Tottenham. What seems unthinkable now is that Liverpool had won just one of the previous 10 matches before that Spurs clash.
But despite a troubling run of form, Slot noticed something different about the fanbase – none of them were saying a negative word about Jurgen Klopp, instead Anfield was acknowledging the long-term project ahead of them and noting that if success was to happen, it would take time.
And time is what he will get at Liverpool. The club is in a much healthier position than it was when Klopp first arrived on these shores, in terms of the structure and quality of the squad at least, so the goalposts of what constitutes success are slightly different.
Arne Slot, pictured here at Cambuur Leeuwarden in 2016, first visited Anfield for Masterslot69 a Liverpool game while working for the Dutch minnows
Seven years later, Slot is taking the helm and spoke to the media for the first time
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But if it does not click straight away, Slot has the full backing of the hierarchy, led by new CEO of Football at owners Fenway Sports Group, Michael Edwards – who spoke to Slot on that 2017 trip – and sporting director Richard Hughes, already a close ally.
‘At that moment (when visiting Anfield) I was at Cambuur Leeuwarden, we didn’t play at the highest level in Holland so there was a big difference between where I was then and now,’ said Slot, speaking to the British national newspapers for the first time.
‘We spoke a bit and I had a look and feel for the club, but not in such a way that I would assume that six years later I would be in this position! We were like two fans going to the game. It was before they won the Premier League and Champions League.
‘You know better than anyone that people liked what Jurgen did here. He changed the style of play and the amount of times the team won. Everyone was positive even back then without the team at that stage winning trophies.’
Like in many outposts of Britain on Friday after the General Election, this was the first speech of a new man in office wearing red. But the difference here is that Slot did not promise change – but vowed to build on the ideologies of Klopp and follow the same principles.
The playing style will be similar, the commanding but friendly way of communicating will be more of the same – and the approach to promoting youth players while not going gung-ho in the transfer market will follow the trend of yesteryear. A new leader but not a radical change.
Slot spoke alongside sporting director Richard Hughes on Friday afternoon
Slot had a big entourage filling the back row of the media auditorium, led by super-agent Rafaela Pimenta and other members of his representative team, plus his right-hand men Sipke Hulshoff and Ruben Peeters. They watched on with smiles as he delivered a confident address.
It did not have the jump-off-the-page, memorable quotes of Klopp’s first speech, where he declared himself the ‘normal one’ and vowed to ‘change doubters into believers’, but Slot showed he has the charisma to make his weekly press duties engaging and insightful.
The Dutchman will spend his weekend cheering on the Netherlands in their European Championship quarter-final with Turkey – but has a busy day or so ahead, as Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo are set to return to base for pre-season in the coming days.
Eight first-teamers were in Kirkby on Friday to carry out fitness duties with cardio tests, impact work and strength training, though many more were present, such as Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott. Little ball work is done yet, though Stefan Bajcetic was spotted doing some kick-ups.
Slot has spent the last few weeks ringing round the players who are away on international duty, such as Darwin Nunez. ‘We called every national team manager and asked if we could have the players before the tournaments but they all said no!,’ joked the boss.
‘I assume Nunez will fit really well into my (playing style) because I like him. I’ve told him already. He is one of the players I have spoken to. He might have had some struggles with finishing opportunities but he came a lot of times into those positions.
Slot revealed he has spoke over the phone to Darwin Nunez, who is on Uruguay duty
‘I think he could fit in really well but it’s normal at a club like this that there are many more players who could play in his position. It’s clear for him which position he is going to play. It’s clear for me as well and me telling him made it clear for him.’
It is a slightly bizarre start to life at Liverpool for Slot, with only half of his new charges present — like a new teacher starting his lessons with half of his class on a school trip. Those who go deep in their tournaments would be unlikely to go on the United States tour at the end of July.
But luckily for Masterslot69 Slot and his team, the lesson plan has not changed too much from what they are accustomed to. He has sizable shoes to fill in replacing Klopp but, as Liverpool’s extensive search identified, he looks like he will slot in just fine.
Arne SlotDarwin Nunez