Debating what needs to happen with Liverpool's forward line this summer after Jurgen Klopp departs

Our weekly Liverpool columnists react to Wednesday's damaging defeat by Everton

Debating what needs to happen with Liverpool's forward line this summer after Jurgen Klopp departs

Dirk Kuyt is ideally placed to assess the merits of Feyenoord’s Arne Slot, the man Liverpool have identified as Jurgen Klopp’s potential successor.

A legendary figure at Feyenoord, Kuyt scored more than 100 goals across two spells at the club, and the former Liverpool forward has closely watched Slot’s three-year reign in Rotterdam. He gained a fascinating insight into Slot’s methods during a week spent behind the scenes shadowing him.

Slot has said it is “clear” he wants the Liverpool job and Kuyt, who has recently celebrated leading Beerschot to the Belgian second-division title, also knows how to succeed at Anfield.

Here, speaking to James Pearce, he explains what he learnt from Slot and why he thinks the Feyenoord manager has what it takes to fill Klopp’s shoes.

Feyenoord are my team in Holland. My son plays in the academy there so now and then myself and Arne have some contact.

It was around this time last year that he gave me the opportunity to spend a week with him, so I could watch how he goes about his job. It was a fascinating experience.

He’s a manager who likes to help younger coaches like me and it says a lot about the type of person he is that he’s willing to share his thoughts and vision so openly.

The timing was perfect as it was just before Feyenoord became Dutch champions. Watching his training sessions was so interesting in terms of the drills and how he prepares his team.

Arne loves the game and thinks about football 24/7. That passion shines through when he speaks. He’s always studying other teams and thinking about how his team can improve and evolve.

Arne Slot helped Feyenoord win the KNVB Cup this season (ANP via Getty Images)

Tactically, he’s very strong. What people like most in Holland, where his reputation is so high, is that he has his own vision, his style of play.

Nowadays managers always get compared. Is it the Jurgen Klopp style? Is it the Jose Mourinho style? Is it the Pep Guardiola style?

The answer is that Slot has his own style. He doesn’t copy anyone. He knows exactly what he wants and he believes in it. It’s attractive, attacking football. He likes to play an aggressive defence, high intensity, with the game played in the opponent’s half, but it’s his way. It’s different from Klopp but a lot of the principles are the same.

What struck me about Arne was his ability to make the players believe in what he believes in. I talked to some of them when I was there and they all spoke so highly about him. They love how he organises the training sessions and how he gets his ideas across. He’s an excellent communicator and man manager.

Watching Feyenoord in recent years, you can see his signature on the team in how he wants football to be played. Everyone bought into his vision. He gets the best out of people.

The job he took on after arriving from AZ Alkmaar in 2021 wasn’t an easy one. Some questioned whether he was the right man because he hadn’t previously trained a top Dutch team, but Feyenoord finished third and reached the final of the Europa Conference League, where they lost narrowly to Jose Mourinho’s Roma.

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Before his second season, he lost a lot of key players. Top scorer Luis Sinisterra was sold to Leeds United, Tyrell Malacia went to Manchester United, Marcos Senesi to Bournemouth and Fredrik Aursnes to Benfica.

Arne effectively had to build a new side. People doubted the new players who arrived and said he would need time to get things right, but he proved them wrong. Outperforming Ajax and PSV to become champions was unbelievable because nobody expected that at the start of the season.

Before this season, he lost Orkun Kokcu to Benfica but they still won the KNVB Cup (Dutch FA Cup) and will finish second behind PSV, who have a really strong squad.

The news that Liverpool had decided to go for Slot came out of the blue. I was surprised because since Jurgen said he would be leaving at the end of the season, other names had been mentioned as possible contenders.

But it makes a lot of sense. I haven’t spoken to Arne but if everything is agreed, Liverpool have made a very good choice. It’s interesting for me as a Dutchman who is both a Feyenoord and Liverpool supporter. I’m a bit excited, to be honest.

Slot in the 2022 Europa Conference League final (Nikola Krstic/Orange Pictures/BSR Agency/Getty Images)

He’s ready for the next step in his career. The doubters will say, ‘But Arne Slot has never trained a foreign team’, but we know how successful Jurgen proved to be and he hadn’t coached outside his homeland before he came to Liverpool.

Louis van Gaal once said, ‘When you’re ready, you’re ready.’ It doesn’t matter what age you are or how much experience you have — it’s about your qualities.

You can’t compare Feyenoord with Liverpool but Arne is used to dealing with pressure and high expectations. When he’s been faced with difficult situations, when results didn’t work out, when he was faced with difficult questions from the media, he always stayed in control and stuck to his principles and the vision of how he wanted to play. He never gave me a negative experience.

He’s had opportunities to move to the Premier League previously but he didn’t feel like those projects were right. He’s been waiting for the right step to take.

Arne wouldn’t go anywhere unless he really believed in the project. If he says ‘yes’ then it’s because he’s convinced he can do great things in the job he’s taking on. Arne is the type of guy who would say ‘no’ to any big club if he had any doubts.

Following in the footsteps of Jurgen isn’t easy but Arne will do it his own way and give everything to make the club successful. He’s determined and driven with a lot of self-belief.

His style of play is exactly what Liverpool supporters love to see at Anfield. He’s also good with the media because he explains himself very clearly. As Feyenoord have so many foreign players, he conducts his meetings in English so there will be no issues over language.

At Feyenoord, he’s loved by the fans. They don’t want to lose him and it will be sad to see him leave — but from my perspective, if he has to go anywhere, I’m happy that it’s to Liverpool. He’s not only a very good manager, but also a very good human being.

(Top photos: Andrew Powell/Liverpool/ANP via Getty Images)

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Slot says it is 'clear' he wants to be Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool successor - Kuyt explains why the Feyenoord manager has what it takes

Latest Liverpool news and gossip as a famous team talk by Feyenoord boss Arne Slot has emerged as he continues to be linked with replacing Jurgen Klopp as the next Liverpool manager

Latest Liverpool news and gossip as a famous team talk by Feyenoord boss Arne Slot has emerged as he continues to be linked with replacing Jurgen Klopp as the next Liverpool manager

Бывший полузащитник «Барселоны» Иван Ракитич высказался о вылетах каталонского клуба из Лиги чемпионов в сезонах-2017/2018 и 2018/2019.

Liverpool are next up against West Ham United in the Premier League with Jurgen Klopp facing some selection posers

Liverpool are next up against West Ham United in the Premier League with Jurgen Klopp facing some selection posers

«Ливерпуль» хочет приобрести защитника «Айнтрахта» Вильяма Пачо, сообщает журналист Санти Ауна в своей соцсети Х (ранее Twitter).

Liverpool await a dead-ball salvo, Luton have to keep their chins up and things could get spicy at City Ground

David Moyes will surely have taken note of Liverpool’s struggle to defend set pieces against Everton. Jürgen Klopp, who must be delighted with a 12.30pm kick-off on Saturday, should prepare his team for another bruising test when they visit West Ham. For Moyes, this is a chance to repair the sizeable damage to his reputation caused by last weekend’s collapse at Selhurst Park. West Ham were 4-0 down to Palace after 31 minutes and are preparing to part company with Moyes at the end of the season, but they should take heart from how Everton unsettled Liverpool in the Merseyside derby. Everton scored twice from set pieces and West Ham pose a similar threat from dead balls. James Ward-Prowse’s deliveries towards Tomas Soucek, Kurt Zouma and Michail Antonio will have Klopp’s defenders sweating. Jacob Steinberg

West Ham v Liverpool, Saturday 12.30pm (all times BST)

Fulham v Crystal Palace, Saturday 3pm

Newcastle v Sheffield United, Saturday 3pm

Manchester United v Burnley, Saturday 3pm

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Главный тренер «Манчестер Сити» Хосеп Гвардиола ответил на вопрос, выбыл ли «Ливерпуль» из чемпионской гонки в АПЛ из-за того, что потерпел два поражения в трёх последних матчах этого турнира.

«Манчестер Сити» вышел на 2-е место в АПЛ.

Победив «Брайтон» (4:0), команда Пепа Гвардиолы вышла на второе место в турнирной таблице Премьер-лиги. У нее 76 очков.

«Сити» отстает от «Арсенала» (77 баллов) на одно очко, но при этом имеет матч в запасе.

«Ливерпуль» идет третьим в таблице, набрав 74 очка.

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Арсеналу выпало два раза подряд в графике 4 матча за 10 дней. Почему нельзя было в среду сыграть? Сити после 20-го играет аж 25-го, а Арсенал играл 14-го, 17-го, 20-го и сегодня. Плюс пока он играет все эти матчи, Тоттенхэм чилит в преддверии воскресного дерби. Офигенно равные условия для претендентов на титул. Видимо, в Англии очень не хотят, чтобы у Арсенала были шансы на чемпионство.

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• ‘It’s no secret that I want to go to Liverpool’
• Feyenoord coach confident the clubs will agree a deal

Arne Slot has revealed he is keen on a move to Liverpool and has ­“confidence” that a switch to Anfield will materialise.

The Feyenoord manager, who has become Liverpool’s preferred candidate to succeed Jürgen Klopp, was speaking to ESPN before the club’s Eredivisie game against Go Ahead Eagles. “The only thing I can say about it is that the clubs are in negotiations – and then you sit in the waiting room and wait for what will come out. It seems clear to me that I would like to go to Liverpool,” he said. “Now I am waiting to see whether the clubs reach an agreement. I have every ­confidence in that.”

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Арне Слот выразил желание поработать в «Ливерпуле».

Ранее стало известно, что нидерландский специалист, возглавляющий «Фейеноорд», является главным кандидатом на пост главного тренера мерсисайдской команды.

«Мне кажется очевидным, что я хотел бы работать там. Клубы ведут переговоры, так что я пока воздержусь [от дальнейших комментариев].

Мы ждем, когда будет достигнуто соглашение, но я полностью уверен в этом», – сказал Слот.

«Ливерпуль» и Слот обсуждают условия контракта. Тренер «Фейеноорда» уже дал согласие на переход (Фабрицио Романо)

«Ливерпуль» предложил 9 млн евро за Слота, «Фейеноорд» отказался и хочет больше. Переговоры продолжаются

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Manager’s departure news is not to blame for his side losing their grasp on two, quite possibly three, trophies in quick time

In isolation, Jürgen Klopp did not have to apologise for losing for the first time in eight visits to Goodison Park. Bad nights happen. In the context of Liverpool’s sorry end to the season, however, an apology felt entirely appropriate.

“I really feel for the people, I am really sorry for that,” said the Liverpool manager after Wednesday’s derby defeat by Everton. “We never lost here before and that feels really different. I really apologise for that.” Klopp’s voice and choice of words captured Liverpool’s mood as the prospects of giving their manager a fitting send-off evaporated. Deflation. Yes, a new-look team was not expected to mount a title challenge this season. That is not a default excuse for recent underperformance. Yes, a quadruple is a fanciful ambition. That does not explain how Liverpool have allowed two, quite possibly three, trophies to slip from their grasp in less than six weeks.

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Jürgen Klopp apologised for Liverpool's first Merseyside derby defeat at Everton in 14 years and admitted his team need 'a crisis' to unfold at Arsenal and Manchester City to remain in the Premier League title race. Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin soured the Reds' title challenge as the hosts powered their way to a priceless 2-0 derby victory at Goodison Park.

After the match the Liverpool manager felt 'very disappointed, frustrated' and summed the game up by saying 'It wasn't good enough. We played the game that Everton wanted.'

• ‘Not good enough’: Klopp apologises for Liverpool’s derby defeat at Everton

• Sean Dyche’s tracksuit energy shocks weary Liverpool into submission

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• Captain says team lacked ‘fight’ at Everton and in other games
• He feels fear of making mistakes may have contributed to slump

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has questioned his teammates’ desire following Wednesday’s loss to Everton which put a huge dent in their hopes to win the Premier League title.

The defender suggested his fellow Anfield players take “a look in the mirror” as he launched into a scathing analysis of Liverpool’s end-of-season collapse following their second defeat in three league games, made even more damaging as it came at Goodison Park.

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