Managing Liverpool is a massive job for any manager, regardless of their experience or reputation, but succeeding a manager as beloved and successful as Jurgen Klopp would challenge the game's greatest.  Yet that was the daunting task facing Dutch manager Arne Slot after he was appointed Liverpool's Head Coach in June 2024.

Who could replace Klopp?

Following Klopp's shock retirement during the 2023/24 season, fans and pundits spent months discussing who Liverpool's next manager would be, with former player and fan favourite Xabi Alonso the leading contender to replace the German.  But when Alonso declined the job, preferring to spend another season at Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, Liverpool Technical Director - Richard Hughes - turned to Dutch coach Arne Slot, who was developing a strong reputation with Feyenoord in Holland's Eredivisie, having led the team to the League Title (2022/23), Dutch Cup (2023/24) and been runners-up in the Europa Conference League (2021/22).  Slot was also awarded the Rinus Michels Award (the Dutch equivalent of the Manager of the Year award) in both 2021/22 and 2022/23.

After several weeks of speculation, Slot was duly announced as Liverpool's new Head Coach - not manager - on the 1st of June 2024.  He brought with him many of his backroom staff, signaling the start of a new era at Anfield.

A student of the game

Much like Jurgen Klopp, Arne Slot had a long, but unspectacular playing career, making over 460 appearances for clubs including FC Zwolle, Sparta Rotterdam, and PEC Zwolle.  Slot played as an attacking midfielder, scoring 100 senior goals, and was credited with good vision and range of passing.  He achieved one U19 cap for the Netherlands.  Soon after his playing career had finished, Slot made the move into coaching, first as a youth coach, and then as Assistant Manager at Cambuur.  After several years, he was asked to lead the team as interim Head Coach.  Slot excelled in the role, leading Cambuur to its first-ever KNVB Cup semi-finals.  The next season AZ Alkmaar (who Cambuur lost to in the semi-finals) came calling, with Slot working first as Assistant Manager, and then as Head Coach.  After several solid years at AZ, Slot made the move to Feyenoord, where he would hone his skills and develop a controlled, high-pressing style that would lead the team to the Eredivisie title and the KNVB Cup.

New beginnings at Anfield

Slot's first pre-season was disrupted by Euro 2024, the Copa America, and the Olympics, yet Liverpool started the 2024/25 season in great fashion, winning their first 3 games without conceding and humbling Manchester United 3 - 0 at Old Trafford.

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• Hired as Liverpool Head Coach on 1st of June 2024
• Wins his first game as Liverpool manager, the first time a new manager has done so since Gerard Houllier in 1998
• Becomes the first Liverpool manager to defeat Manchester United in their first meeting since Bob Paisley in 1975

"When I come in in the first days, in the first week I'm here, I will be really focused on the training ground.  I think there is the place where you can influence the most and you have to influence the most, because you have to influence your players, common to the game model and your game plan.  And I think that's where it's all about – to find a way of playing which suits the players the best and then adjust maybe with the game plan a bit where we can win a few things."

Arne Slot, speaking at his first LFC press conference in June 2024

"I've already said, there's a few similarities between Feyenoord and Liverpool. Both are cities alongside the river, people work on the docks, it's a hard-working class, fans that appreciate seeing the team. I think these clubs like Feyenoord and Liverpool, from what I saw of it, it just means a bit more for the fans, it just means a bit more if the team does well than at some other places around the world. This is what I felt at Feyenoord and I'm expecting to feel the same here at Anfield as well."

Arne Slot, talking about the similarities between Feyenoord and Liverpool

"For me, he's the best manager I've worked under, he can develop players and make teams play fun football."

Former Feyenoord winger Oussama Idrissi told Dutch outlet AD

"Some players you can see are going to be coaches.  I also played with Alfred Schreuder (the former Ajax manager) and both him and Slot… nobody is surprised now they're both coaches.  He would ask the coach why they were using certain tactics. And in the dressing room, he would talk to the group about (for example) a way of pressing or defending. He would ask: 'Why were we doing it this way? Would it be better to do it this way?'. He would make suggestions to his coaches.

“But he would do it in such a good way. He wouldn't do it with an attitude: he would ask the coach: 'What do you think about this?'. He would also very quickly see what the opponents were doing."

Slot's former NAC Breda team-mate Edwin de Graaf speaking to The Athletic