The ‘tough’ Arne Slot

Some fans of Manchester United They left Old Trafford before finishing with a humiliating defeat against Liverpool (0-3). Erik ten Haag He spent the first few minutes, after the final whistle, walking sadly on the grass, applauding the few fans who bothered to stay until the end. He seemed to overcome. His expected big change, with the nuances of the Dutch signings in which he decided to join, has not yet come and, on the contrary, everything is joy. Your countryman Arne Slott is very plug in Liverpoolin its debut year.

The slot quickly adapted to the ‘reds’, with meticulous attention to detail. Nor the long shadow of Jurgen Kloppvividly remembered in Merseyside, conditioning the ‘difficult’ Slot. While there are already subtle differences between the two coaches in their style on and off the field, their determination to put the needs of the team ahead of the players’ feelings connects them. The former coach of Feyenoord very quickly revealed his very demanding methods, that the youngsters, such as the central defender Quansahyou noticed, when he replaced him at half-time at Ipswich because of his lack of aggressiveness. Slot’s theory for winning matches combines stability and good sense: “We need to match the strength so that all our qualities shine.”

in Liverpool space little has changed in the names compared to Kloppbut a new strength was seen, expressed by their numbers: they did not concede a goal in their three victories. The players run like gazelles and the spark of ambition is different. The Brazilian goalkeeper Alison He explained the moment he was having in the locker room: “The appreciation of Jurgen Klopp is for life, he knows it, but the determination, the quality of Arne Slot and the way he works is worth it to all of us.” And when the Brazilian goalkeeper talks about everything, he talks, above all, about Luis Diaz and Salahthe two leaders in Liverpool’s forward line, the key to its smooth functioning, for whom rumors of their departure from the club have flown.

The moment is especially difficult for the Egyptian, the great ‘red’ star, whose contract expires in June 2025. The 32-year-old forward seems to be waiting for a gesture from the club about his future, which did not come: “ No one at the club talked to me about contracts. “It’s not up to me.” Arne Sot tries hard to avoid personalism in the group. He always talks about the group. And this is what Kirkby and Liverpool’s new management, led by Michael Edwards, director of football at Fenway Sports Group, and sporting director Richard Hughes, want most.

While Slot hits his first tests, the opposite happens to Ten Hags at United, Old Trafford fans suspended. “I’m not Harry Potter,” said the coach ironically, after two defeats in the first three games, but confident that the bad moment will be recovered, thanks to the support offered by the club. In the box, however, the desperate image of United’s new co-owner, Jim Ratcliffe, covering his head with his hands, leaves no doubt about the blow received or the impatience that grips United now.