Jurgen Klopp got Anfield to join him in an Arne Slot chant after their 2-0 weekend win over Wolves on Sunday, during an emotional farewell for the German manager as the Reds prepare for life under a new man – nine years after his highly-anticipated arrival. Slot said the Liverpool job was too difficult to ignore, so how will he fare when work in England begins next weekend?
Klopp graciously passes the torch, as you’d expect
THE sight of a tearful Trent Alexander-Arnold and captain Virgil van Dijk doing his best to avoid the waterworks told this story. Jurgen Klopp will be sorely missed on Merseyside, though we knew this when he announced four months ago, his decision to depart and take a hiatus after nine unforgettable years at the helm.
It doesn’t make his impending departure any easier to accept, especially a cluster of key players – young and old – who only know life under the legendary head coach at Liverpool. So you can understand why he made a point to embrace his successor, albeit more informally, than Sir Alex Ferguson did at Old Trafford 11 years ago.
Slot has a supreme job on his hands and while the Dutchman will be afforded grace, it’s easy to forget there were early teething problems under Jurgen in his early moments of English football. So long as he maintains squad harmony, he’ll be okay.
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Given his managerial rise, Liverpool’s Arne Slot pursuit should be no surprise
The Reds’ achilles heel this term has been their defensive fragility, with question marks over Ibrahima Konate’s form while injuries to fullback duo Andy Robertson and Alexander-Arnold have seen them adapt on-the-fly in a similar way to four-time reigning champions Manchester City needed.
Couple that with question marks over their attacking form, Darwin Nunez’s uncertain future at the centre of that, and you’ll understand why Mohamed Salah-to-Saudi speculation isn’t completely unfounded in truth.
Midfield was identified as a problem area last summer after the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho and encouraging signs have been on display with Wataru Endo, Dominik Szobozslai and to a lesser extent, Ryan Gravenberch.
Harvey Elliott has been heralded as their future creator-in-chief, Jarrell Quansah’s barely put a foot wrong in central defence while the EFL Cup final win over Chelsea exemplified how much truth they have in their current academy cohort.
I’ve touched upon their rumoured interest in Premier League pair Guehi and Adarabioyo, while it’s clear the existing striker market is volatile across Europe so perhaps they can afford to take risks elsewhere or promote from within while they decide upon their longer-term plans considering the depth within.
Picture source: Getty Images
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