The Gaffer.
Taking over where someone else has left off is not easy, Arne Slot has made the task look easy.
Winning a trophy in any sport is hard, winning one in your first season in charge is almost unheard of. This, however, is the feat Arne Slot has accomplished in his first season in charge at Liverpool Football Club, who, after thrashing Spurs 5-1 were crowned Premier League champions for the 2024/25 season. I couldn’t be happier.
In this achievement Slot joins a list of only five managers (including him) who have won the premier league in their first season in charge. They are Jose Mourinho (Chelsea), Carlo Ancelotti (Chelsea), Antonio Conte (Chelsea) and Manuel Pellegrini (Manchester City). It is not just Football (Soccer) in which this feat is so coveted. Only three coaches in the history of the National Rugby League (Australia) have won the title in their first season in charge whilst six NBA coaches since the year 2000 have achieved this feat.
It is often cited in business that managers have a goldilocks period of four years in which to make their mark. The first year can be spent undoing the wrongs of their predecessor, the second spent honing their own practises and the third and fourth getting things right. In sport as in business, this often holds true. Managers, after being appointed to a new club lament the quality of talent assembled by their predecessor and begin instigating change with a view to ‘building for the future’.
Slot has abandoned this well trodden path and benefited as a result. Before looking at the reasons why he has been successful, his journey to becoming the Liverpool manager is worthy of note.
Prior to his coaching roles Slot had a successful playing career, amassing 462 appearances and 100 goals in the Eredivise, the top tier of Dutch football. By his own admission, he made up for a lack of speed with a great eye for the pass, vision and anticipation which made him a sought after goal scoring midfielder.
His managerial career stated with PEC Zwolle coaching their youth teams, an important phase in the development of any coach. Why? Well, because at this level you actually have to ‘coach’. Players in the youth system have more scope for development and coaches have more contact time with them. Coaches who bypass this phase of their development tend to focus on man management and tactical smarts at the expense of developing skills in the planning, delivery and evaluation of effective training sessions.
As well as experience in youth football, Slot has been an assistant manager at Cambuur and AZ. Working in the role of an assistant will have helped him determine what he wants from those who now support him as head coach. This will have been invaluable when building his backroom team and is evidenced by the appointment of Robin Van Persie at Feyenoord. Far from being threatened by Van Persie’s status as a highly decorated player for club and country Slot recognised the value he could bring to the development of young players. It is easy to see the qualities Slot was impressed by when you listen to Van Persie interviewed on the High Performance podcast, a link to that interview is below
At Feyenoord Slot took on the role of head coach, winning the Erdivise in his second season in charge and finishing runner up in his third year at the club. Quite apart from the success he enjoyed on the field, he was credited for developing young players in a system that was built on attractive and attacking football. Few coaches achieve both of these aims. So, Slot has covered many of the bases you would describe as essential for the resume of a top flight coach. He was been a player, has coached at the youth level, been an assistant and a head coach with experience of winning domestic trophies and being competitive in international competitions. He is also, despite having coached since 2013, still relatively young (he is 46) and brings an energy and enthusiasm to his work. This, whilst not essential, is an important part of his recent success.
If a breadth of experience across the game both as a player and coach is one of the reasons behind Slot’s success what are the others?
Consistency
Coaches often want to overhaul the backroom staff when they arrive at a new club. They bring with them technical coaches, medical staff and fitness coaches to ensure the message provided to players is consistent across departments and aligned with their vision and philosophy. Out with the old and in with the new. Slot has avoided this pitfall.
Yes he has brought in new blood to the coaching team however has also retained many of those who worked under Klopp. Jonathan Power remains as the head of medical services and performance, Lee Nobles as head of physiotherapy and Conall Murtagh as head of physical performance. All three were part of the backroom staff assembled by Klopp and as such have a unique understanding of the players and competitions in which they compete. They will also have formed effective working relationships and data sharing practises with their counterparts at the international teams Liverpool’s players represent.
The consistency this has brought will undoubtedly have contributed to Liverpool and Slot’s success. Perhaps the best evidence of this is that Liverpool have three outfield players in the top 20 for accrued playing minutes across the premier league this season. They are Van Dijk, Salah and Gravenberch, all highly influential within the team. Injuries are sometimes unavoidable, however managing your squad and developing effective working practises between coaching and medical staff can go a long way to reducing their prevalence. This is much easier when you retain staff who have prior knowledge of what works and what doesn’t for the playing group you inherit.
Nothing to see here
The media have, by and large, been silenced this season. In a league that attracts media attention for every move you make, Slot (and Liverpool) have worked hard to remain under the radar. You may think this is more about the ability of the communications team than the manager however that would be to do him a mis-service. Just look at how poorly Ange Postecoglou is handling the media. Although Postacoglou makes valid points, his manner and demeanour in response to even the most cursory level of questioning resembles someone who knows they are under pressure. Taking those frustrations out on the media has not helped his cause. Slot has never appeared even the slightest bit ruffled.
Slot’s first season has not been without its challenges. There were stories of a falling out with star right back Trent Alexander Arnold at the start of the campaign. In November last year Mo Salah indicated that he no longer felt wanted by the club after contract negotiations stalled. In both cases Slot quelled the concern and seemingly dealt with the issues in-house, starving the media of a story that could have derailed his and the teams progress.
After a shaky start, Trent-Alexander went on to play in 30 premier league games, finishing with a second premier league medal for his boyhood club. In the case of Salah, Slot managed to extract some of the best performances from his star striker before rewarding him with a two year extension in April 2025. Not only did Salah sign for Liverpool, he spurned advances from other clubs offering greater financial incentives and, I say this as someone who grew up around Liverpool, a better (or at least different) environment in which to raise his family. In short, Salah must believe Slot has created an environment at Liverpool he wants to remain part of, even if that means a lower salary than he could command elsewhere.
The courage to accept the things I cannot change
Criticising one’s predecessor is easy, building on and improving the work they started is much harder. Slot has shown himself to be adept at the latter. Not only has he extracted greater utility from the squad he inherited but displayed the humility to acknowledge the work his predecessor did in enabling the current success. Just pause and consider how often you hear a manager, in any sport, thank the people who came before them. I recall only one example, when Eddie Jones recognised the work of Stuart Lancaster after assuming responsibility for the England Rugby team.
The strength of character Slot displayed in this message will not have gone unnoticed by the players. Think how much confidence it would endow when, as an athlete, you hear your coach praise their predecessor rather than castigate them. In an industry where admonishment and criticism is so pervasive, hearing someone heap praise on others is rare and must have buoyed the players. A manager who praises his predecessor so publicly is unlikely to be someone who criticises his players unnecessarily. It is also likely to be someone who looks for and focuses on the positives, something many coaches fail to recognise. Slot acknowledges this in an interview in which he states the importance of instilling confidence in his players through recognising their strengths. That article can be found here https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/i-knew-when-i-was-young-i-wanted-it-arne-slots-coaching-journey-explained. Cue athletes who feel free to express themselves on the field, and it has shown.
Creating the right environment
A successful transition into a new role is less about your coaching ability and more about the behaviours you adopt. It is about building relationships with existing staff, trusting them and using the knowledge they have to your advantage. It is making them feel valued and a key part of your team, even in the early stages of working together. Finding a way to deal with issues expediently and privately is also important. Avoid reasons for the press, fans or even the athletes to distract you from your goal with questions relating to stories you could have shut down at the source. To put it another way, pay attention to silencing outside noise.
Adopt behaviours that give those around you, including the players, confidence that you recognise and acknowledge good work. I have heard more than my fair share of coaches criticise their predecessor and the work of staff who they relieved of their duties. Sure, this approach may give new coaches breathing space and an excuse for poor performances in the short term however has much longer term implications. To the players and staff who remain it says, ‘I might like you know but when I don’t, you’ll suffer the same fate’. A coach who has no compunction in castigating or blaming others to save themselves is unlikely to garner the long term trust or loyalty of those around them.
Taking a leadership role in any organisation, be that business or sport is less about what you do and much more about how you do it. I for one would be happy to work for Arne Slot!