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Arne Slot 'feels at home' at Liverpool, says 'there was not a reason to change lots of things' after Jurgen Klopp
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Published 09/11/2024 at 09:02 GMT
Ahead of Liverpool's match on Saturday against Aston Villa, head coach Arne Slot told TNT Sports that the strength of the squad left behind by previous manager Jurgen Klopp meant that he had no need to make wholesale changes to the team's approach. Instead, he discussed finding a "balance" for his new side, who are currently top of the Premier League table.
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Liverpool head coach Arne Slot said he soon “felt at home” at Anfield and did not see a "reason to change lots of things" following on from a successful period under Jurgen Klopp.
Slot took over from Klopp in the summer, and while many had anticipated that he might struggle to adjust at a new club that had seen just one manager for much of the previous decade, he has instead started excellently.
Liverpool are two points clear at the top of the Premier League table ahead of their clash with Aston Villa on Saturday, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Speaking to 2003 Rugby World Cup winner Ben Kay on TNT Sports, Slot said that he found integrating into his new role to be swift, helped by the previous work done by Klopp.
“The biggest change was in my private life, professionally I felt at home after a few days, so from the start.
“My expectations were not about the amount of wins or those kinds of things. When you come into a new club you want the team to play, as soon as they can, to the standards you want them to play, getting across your ideas as soon as possible.
“I inherited a team that did really well last season and for so many seasons before, so there was not a reason to change lots of things, just keep the things they do really well.
"In general, I think the things Jurgen likes his team to do, and I like my team to do, is press really high. Sometimes in different formations, but the idea is the same - and we both like to score goals.”
Slot added that when he discussed the possibility of joining Liverpool from Feyenoord he wanted to ensure that his new employers were considering him for the right reasons.
He continued: “For me, it was really important that they chose me because of the way I play, not because I won the league in Holland, or that we won the cup. It was for my playing style.
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"Every time I went to a club, the main thing I wanted from a sports director was, ‘Do you want me for the results I got?’
“For me, it was important they wanted me for the playing style and because they’re similar to you.”
Asked if he adapted his approach to his new players, or if he stuck to his pre-existing ideas, he told Kay: "I sometimes try to find the balance with certain players and risk and reward, but they have to keep doing what they’re good at.
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"It’s not only tactical and technical, but how they handle disappointments. Disappointments in a game, when we go 1-0 down, when they get taken off, if they don’t play.
“That’s why I liked it so much when we scored the [winner in the] 2-1 against Brighton. I looked to my right at Dominik Szolozbai, he was so happy. I think that is also important, and that’s how I get to know the players better and better.”
Liverpool are also top of the Champions League table after beating Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 in midweek.
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