Who is Arne Slot? Simon Kuper, who grew up in the Netherlands and remains a Dutch football obsessive, reveals all about the new Liverpool manager. Join Heroes & Humans for our first ever emergency episode to hear about the new Klopp mini-me.
The Dutchman from a family of schoolteachers is Klopp without the charisma and the teeth visible from outer space. He’s even practically German (well, ten minutes’ drive from the border). We have other comparisons: Slot’s playing career as the slowest Dutch midfielder since Louis van Gaal. And Simon discusses Slot’s similarities and differences with the dreaded Erik ten Hag, and why he’ll probably do better than poor Ten Hag has done at Manchester United. But we also draw a more encouraging parallel: why Slot-for-Klopp looks a lot like Bob Paisley replacing Bill Shankly.
Above all, listeners get a free lesson in how to pronounce Slot’s name.
Timestamps:
00:02 - Introduction to the podcast "Heroes and Humans of Football"
00:48 - Simon expresses excitement about a Dutch manager being hired at Liverpool
01:04 - Discussion about pronouncing Arne Slot's name correctly
02:06 - Details on Liverpool potentially paying £10 million to secure Slot from Feyenoord
03:40 - Comparison of Slot to Erik ten Hag and Bob Paisley
06:43 - Slot's background: growing up in a small village near the German border
09:06 - The potential influence of Billy Beane (Moneyball) in Slot's hiring at Liverpool
12:28 - Slot's coaching style and philosophy, similar to those of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp
16:43 - How Slot got Feyenoord to buy into and execute his high-pressing system
18:21 - Funny anecdote about Slot laughing at Diego Simeone after beating Atlético Madrid
19:23 - Mehreen's take on Slot's appearance and communication style
21:03 - Why Slot may succeed at Liverpool, where Ten Hag struggled at Manchester United
23:35 - Slot's reliance on wingers and fullbacks suits Liverpool's current squad
25:19 - Feyenoord's limited budget that Slot had to work with
26:21 - Potential weakness of Slot being vain/having high self-esteem
27:43 - Caution about difficulty of replacing a legend like Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool
28:31 - What profession Slot would have if not football (school teacher ... again)
29:09 - Whether they would enjoy spending an evening with Slot
30:24 - Slot has to try to beat his hero Pep Guardiola at Manchester City
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