Slot Picking Heitinga’s Brain Ahead of Merseyside Derby
The former Everton defender also spent last season working under David Moyes at West Ham.
Liverpool FC will play at Goodison Park for the last time tonight, and if the game wasn’t already chockfull of storylines, it would also mark John Hetinga's return to his former club, Everton.
Now a Liverpool FC assistant coach, the former Everton defender played in the city from 2009 to 2014, making 140 appearances for the club and spending much of that time playing under David Moyes. Perhaps a little more under the radar for most casual fans, he also served as Moyes's assistant at West Ham United last season.
When asked about Heitinga’s experience coaching with Moyes at the pre-game presser, Slot had a pretty lengthy answer:
“Of course I asked him, ‘how did you guys experience the Merseyside derby from that side? And I think both teams experienced it the same, like every player around the world, like I have experienced the derbies I have played in.”
“Those are such important games for everyone that is involved in both clubs and yes, he worked with David Moyes so, yes, he knows how he wants to play.”
“But I just watched the last three or four games, I can see the structure he had at West Ham and that he had before at United and that he had before at West Ham and that he had before at Everton.”
“So he has a clear idea how he wants the team to play and that is something very positive for a manager. If you just look at his team, it doesn’t matter which shirts they wear and you just say, ‘ah, this is a David Moyes team’ or ‘this is a Pep Guardiola team’.”
“And this is something he always brings and that is a great accomplishment because that is not done by every manager. You know what you get when you bring David Moyes in and that is mostly success.”
A win for Liverpool would also pip them ahead of Everton for the record at Goodison Park — both teams are currently tied at 41 wins a piece. Up the Reds!
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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