Topics: Arne Slot, Liverpool, Champions League, Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool manager Arne Slot made a special piece of history on Wednesday night as his side made the perfect start to their latest Champions League campaign.
The task of replacing Jurgen Klopp was never going to be easy. The German transformed a struggling team into a European giant, forging a unique bond with his players along the way.
So when he announced his decision to step down from his role at the end of the 2023/24 season, many were concerned. Who could replace such an influential figure?
More questions were raised when the Reds moved to appoint Arne Slot from Feyenoord; a decision spearheaded by sporting director Richard Hughes following a meticulous and data-driven approach.
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"That philosophy and playing style that attracted us to Arne is subjective and is based on football opinion, and data," Hughes said. "On all the metrics, his Feyenoord team came out really well."
Three months later and things are going swimmingly at Anfield.
After picking up five wins from a possible six in the league, the Dutchman watched on as his side recorded a comfortable 2-0 win in their Champions League tie against Bologna.
Alexis Mac Allister gave Liverpool an early lead after converting an inch-perfect cross from Mohamed Salah and then with 15 minutes remaining, the Egyptian forward put the game to bed with a trademark strike.
As a result of their latest victory, Arne Slot has made history by becoming the first manager in Liverpool’s history to win eight out of his first nine games.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday night's game, Slot touched on the legacy Klopp has left behind at Anfield.
"The culture of this team, the culture of this club, the hard work, the players showing up every day in training sessions, trying to bring the best out of them... Sometimes, if you come to a new club, you need to get that culture in, but that was absolutely not necessary over here," he told UEFA.
"I inherited a lot of quality, but maybe even more importantly, I inherited a team, a club that was already fully focused on hard work and trying to get the best out of the team and individuals every single day."
Slot added: "I wouldn't say I was surprised by that, but it was nice to see that it was just like Jürgen told me, because he told me that that was the culture and I experienced this from the start."
