Arne Slot omits Liverpool as he names his three favorite Premier League teams
It appears that Liverpool fans can anticipate an exhilarating style of football under their new head coach, Arne Slot. A recently resurfaced interview shed an intriguing light on his football philosophy.
When asked by Voetbal International last May about his favorite teams to watch, Slot didn’t mention Liverpool.
Instead, the Dutchman stated, “There is no team in the world I would rather watch than Manchester City, followed by Napoli, Arsenal, and Brighton.”
The Feyenoord coach not mentioning Liverpool among his top three Premier League teams to watch suggests that the club may be headed in a different direction under Slot.
Slot’s football philosophy, evidenced by his preference for Manchester City’s style of play, mirrors that of Pep Guardiola. He emphasizes proactive football, a style he successfully implemented at Feyenoord.
“I certainly don’t want to compare myself to Pep, but he is a control freak just like me,” Slot said. “But City – and again, it is not my intention to compare us with them – have a similar style of play to how we want to play with Feyenoord.”
Given Slot’s evident admiration for Guardiola and the playing style embraced by his protégés, such as Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta and Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi, it’s reasonable to anticipate that Slot’s arrival as Liverpool manager will mark the end of the ‘heavy metal’ football associated with current manager Jurgen Klopp.
Although there are numerous parallels between their approaches, including a preference for formations like 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, Slot’s style emphasizes a patient build-up from the defense, short passing, and deploying two wingers in advanced positions on the pitch.
Liverpool’s meticulous and data-driven approach to finding Klopp’s successor led them to choose Slot over other candidates, including Ruben Amorim from Sporting CP.
Michael Edwards and his team believe that Slot’s renowned communication skills will facilitate a smooth transition between playing styles.
Arne Slot omits Liverpool as he names his three favorite Premier League teams