Jurgen Klopp isn’t perfect, he got something wrong at Liverpool this season and Arne Slot has to change.
With Arne Slot coming to Liverpool, the goal will be very much to keep things the same. Slot plays with a similar pressing football to Klopp, where he demands his players to win the ball back as soon as they lose it.
There are, of course, differences as well. Slot prefers his teams to build up with more short passes from the back and not be as direct as Klopp.
But the one thing the Dutchman has to change at Liverpool is not in Klopp’s style but in the German’s approach.
What Arne Slot must change at Liverpool
This season, Liverpool have been on a great run. Not just in the Premier League, but also in the domestic cups.
It has culminated in Liverpool winning the League Cup and reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Klopp’s side also went far in the Europa League, reaching the quarter-finals as well.
But while it was great to see Klopp’s side challenging for everything, it clearly took its toll. Liverpool’s dip in April can be explained by simple fatigue.
The Reds had played so many games it was bound to catch-up with them.
This is why when Slot comes into Liverpool, he needs to take the domestic games less seriously. It’s no coincidence that Liverpool’s best two seasons under Klopp, when they won the Champions League in 2018/19 and the Premier League in 2019/20 – they didn’t go far in the domestic cups.
In 2018/19, they were eliminated in the third round of the League Cup and FA Cup. Meanwhile, in the 2019/20 season, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the League Cup and the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Another solution for Arne Slot
There is a way for Slot to take everything as equally seriously. But for that he needs to increase Liverpool’s squad size.
Klopp has always preferred to work with a smaller group of players. However, with the Champions League ‘group-stage’ games increasing from six to eight matches, it’s not necessary for Liverpool to have a bigger squad.
Slot can use the summer transfer window to dip into the market and bring in players who are happy to feature as part of the Liverpool squad.