Liverpool might be going through a rough patch at the moment, but Arne Slot has the temperament to lift them out of their slump. That is according to Dutch football analyst Marcel van der Kraan, who has had a close connection with Slot for many years. Although they started the season as imperious defending champions, Liverpool’s title defence now looks precarious after suffering five defeats in six Premier League fixtures, the latest being a 3-0 defeat against Manchester City.
The Reds have appeared disjointed throughout the season, with a £450million summer squad overhaul leaving them lacking cohesion and fluency. Confidence has also dipped, as shown by their lacklustre performance at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Yet Van der Kraan argues there is no cause for alarm – particularly since Liverpool’s struggles do not seem to have affected Slot’s self-belief. “I am looking at him in every interview and on the touchline to try and discover if there is a change in his behaviour, character or actions… and there isn’t the slightest change,” he told the Daily Mail.
“He is calm, composed, absolutely not in panic mode, exactly how I know him. And I do not expect him to panic either, or to change. This guy is so confident about what he is doing. This makes me think he will turn it around. I don’t have doubts.”
Van der Kraan added: “The only managers I know with the same self-confidence are [Yohan] Cruyff and [Pep] Guardiola. I worked [as a football writer] closely with Cruyff in the 1980s and 1990s and could not believe how cool he was under any circumstances.
“It [a rough patch] happened to Cruyff with Ajax and Barca, it happened to Pep and it happened to Arne. Don’t forget Arne is a massive fan of the Cruyff school. They just accept these moments, however for Arne it is going on too long of course now. That is what makes it tense. But he won’t change a thing.”
Slot appeared to transition into Premier League football with ease. In his first season, Liverpool suffered only one league defeat until April, by which point the title was essentially secured.
He delivered exceptional quality and consistency from the outset, despite stepping into Jurgen Klopp’s formidable shoes, spending just £10m on new signings and managing complex contract situations involving three of his key players – Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
This makes the current difficulties even more puzzling. Liverpool started the campaign with five straight league victories, though four of those wins came from last-minute goals, often concealing weak performances.
A sequence of four consecutive league losses followed and although wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid provided a small sense of optimism, the heavy defeat to City plunged them back into turmoil. However, if Van der Kraan’s judgement is correct, the turmoil is unlikely to last too long.