How Guardiola’s Management Style Solidified Slot’s Opinion on the Game

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Empire of the Kop

·2 October 2024

How Guardiola’s Management Style Solidified Slot’s Opinion on the Game

Apart from a surprise defeat at Anfield to Nottingham Forest, Arne Slot’s start to his tenure as Liverpool head coach has been as good as anyone could have hoped. Highlights include a comprehensive defeat of a beleaguered Manchester United at Old Trafford and a Champions League victory away to Milan.

The Reds currently top the Premier League, and fans will be confident about their upcoming fixtures against Bologna in Europe and Crystal Palace in the top flight. LFC are odds-on favourites in both matches, but gambling expert Kane Pepi advises bettors to look for sports betting sites not on Gamstop which can potentially offer better odds.

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Mo Salah and Luis Diaz have been among the standout performers for Slot this season, and the Dutchman’s footballing philosophy was bolstered by one of his Premier League rivals.

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Slot’s Football Philosophy

Slot revealed that his limited abilities as a player led him to think more deeply about tactics and how his passing could open up opportunities for teammates. By the time his career was winding up, he had one eye on coaching, and this philosophy would carry on into it.

It was at this point that Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona began to dominate European football with their possession-based game. The passing style earned the nickname of ‘tiki-taka’ and played to the strengths of players like Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi.

Seeing the now-Manchester City boss adopt and succeed by using a similar style of play to Slot’s preferred style gave the Dutchman the confidence and belief that he was on the right track.

The 46-year-old prefers a possession-based style which is attack-minded and high on energy. His preference for an organised press and wingers and full-backs who attack aggressively are perfect for Trent Alexander-Arnold and Salah and have unleashed Luis Diaz’s potential.

Slot’s Liverpool Start

Slot’s Liverpool haven’t changed much since Jurgen Klopp left, and this has proven to be a wise strategy. The only additions of note in the summer transfer window were Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvilli – who’s signed from Valencia and will come to Anfield next year – and Italian winger Federico Chiesa, who arrived from Juventus.

Rumours linking the Reds with moves for Real Madrid pair Rodrygo and Aurelien Tchouameni may excite the fans, with both players having a lot to offer and still being quite young.

LFC’s great start to the season sees Diaz and Salah leading the way for goals with five each. The Egyptian’s four assists so far give him nine goal contributions from his opening eight games, underlining his importance despite his advancing years.

While Slot’s promising start has helped to ease the transition from fan favourite Klopp, there is a potential problem on the horizon. As it stands, the end of the 2024/25 season will see the contracts of Salah, Trent and Virgil van Dijk all come to a conclusion.

These three have been instrumental in Liverpool’s recent successes, and despite the Egyptian forward and Dutch centre-back getting on in years football-wise, they would both be massive losses.

There’s still a lot of time for those new contracts to be sorted, but Slot’s real test as LFC head coach will come when he has to create his own team, rather than guiding the bulk of the side that Klopp created.

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