Last Premier League season was like a continuation of Arne Slot’s career as a coach. Straight the road with success. For a coach who has not really met a wall of expectations that require climbing skills he has not previously needed, this can be excessive.
The Athletic has made the trip to the Netherlands to check Slot’s background and what people “on the street” think about the coach. Slot is seen as a big hero by his former supporters, but it is a statistic that paints a picture of a completely new situation for the former Feyenoord coach.
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The Athletic presents key statistics that could explain why Slot cannot reverse Liverpool’s negative trend this season.
The English media points out that at previous clubs such as AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord, Slot never lost three games in a row. In other words, he was never out of his comfort zone, had his back against the wall or was put under pressure in his job.
This means that Slot is now experiencing the first real crisis of his coaching career, and it is happening at one of the biggest clubs in the world where there is no hiding place and every decision he makes is micro-analyzed.
An Feyenoord supporter added an interesting observation: “His last year with Feyenoord (who finished second behind PSV in 2023-24) was perhaps his worst year and that was when he could spend some money (on reinforcements)”.
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At Liverpool, £450 million flowed out for reinforcements after the Premier League title…
The Liverpool management shows no signs of firing Slot, but the question is whether the analysis system of Liverpool that pointed out Arne Slot as the right coach for the Reds, took into account that this coach has never really been through the biggest storms – and come out stronger on the other side.
The conclusion will come in the next few games.
