Sander Westerveld Believes Arne Slot Is “Perfect Fit” For Liverpool
The former LFC goalkeeper has know Slot for quite some time and feels the Dutch coach is a good tactical match for his new club.
As Liverpool officially transition from a legendary club leader in Jürgen Klopp after his decision to step away, the LFC community is learn more about their new head coach, Arne Slot. While Slot has quickly made a name for himself as a coach in his native Netherlands, not many outside of the country knew too much about Slot before his appointment as the next Liverpool head coach.
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld is one of the people who knows Slot the best, having played with him at Sparta Rotterdam and remaining friends ever since. Westerveld immediately felt like Slot would be a good fit at Liverpool based on the style of play the Dutchman likes to employ.
“The minute I heard Arne’s name, I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s actually a perfect fit.’ Over the years people talk about Arne in Holland and they always compared him with Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp.
“He always showed Liverpool clips during training sessions and analysing games. He was showing Liverpool clips on how to play. He’s playing in a similar style. It’s been well-documented how he plays, what he wants in a team.
While the tactical fit is obviously a big deal, Westerveld feels that Slot also has the right type of personality to get the best from his players. Similar to Klopp, Slot looks to build up and motivate the entire squad, and make sure each player feels like they have a place and a purpose.
“[Slot’s] also a genuine nice guy. He’s always in for a joke, which is really important because it gives a sort of balance in the team, in the group – focus, train hard, have a laugh when you can. Take the pressure off certain situations but never lose the focus on winning games.”
“It’s easy to motivate the first XI but if you talk about the players that are on the bench, 12 to 25, they’re all happy with him as well in all the clubs he’s trained, so that’s really important and says enough as well.”
With many of Liverpool’s players taking part in the Euros this summer, it will be a while before Slot gets to work with the full group. It will, however, give him a chance to get to know the impressive depth of the squad that has been built up over the past several years.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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