What Arne Slot did at Anfield proves he's perfect Jurgen Klopp successor at Liverpool

Deep in the bowels of Anfield on Tuesday afternoon, Arne Slot hit a major milestone in his fledgling Liverpool career.

It was a landmark that pertained not to action on the pitch but to the Dutchman’s relationship with the media off it as he bantered with one young journalist in the stadium’s press conference suite. “That’s a bit of Scouse,” Slot joked as he struggled to make sense of the reporter’s strong Merseyside accent.

It was reminiscent of an infamous Jurgen Klopp moment in which the German was hilariously left baffled by a journalist’s thick Brummie timbre, and one of the first real examples of the rapport Slot is slowly but surely building with the press.

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By the end of his glittering Anfield tenure, Klopp was not just a football coach but a much-loved institution. Emulating his successes on the pitch would have presented an onerous challenge for any potential successor, but just as intimidating would have been the prospect of following a manager who often assumed the role of English football’s social conscience, speaking with authority on an array of issues from politics to the pandemic.

Slot has repeatedly made clear that he has no desire to imitate Klopp, and certainly it seems the Dutchman is far more understated than his predecessor. But understated does not have to equal unimpressive, and that certainly seems to be the case here, with Slot’s exceptional oratory skills having become more and more apparent in recent weeks.

“We as a team, if you have so much quality, you cannot accept mediocrity,” he said ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League clash with Bologna. “You have to ask from yourself every second of the day, every second of the game, the highest standards that this shirt brings.”

It is that sort of rousing rhetoric that has ensured there has thus far been no major hangover from the Klopp era, shock defeat to Nottingham Forest aside. Liverpool have won seven of their eight games under the Dutchman in all competitions and currently sit top of the Premier League table.

Whereas Klopp often exuded an almost ostentatious degree of charisma, Slot’s dealings with the press have so far been underscored by an air of quiet authority. While it felt like Klopp was capable of galvanising his players to run through brick walls for him, it seems as if Slot’s more measured approach is no less effective when it comes to getting the squad on side.

“I don’t lose my temper that much; I don’t think it is a good idea to lose your temper every single day because it doesn’t work,” Slot revealed when quizzed on how he is keeping standards high at Anfield.

“But the positive thing is that maybe I don’t accept mediocrity, but these players themselves don’t accept it as well. It is not only about me not accepting it; the players don’t accept it from themselves also.”

Certainly, a whole host of players, from Trent Alexander-Arnold to Luis Diaz, have eulogised about their new head coach in recent weeks, and Alexis Mac Allister, too, was keen to highlight how much he is enjoying his football under Slot on Tuesday.

"I think between Arne and Jurgen the principles are the same,” the Argentinian said. “I don't think there is a huge difference. I just think now we have more of a structure and some patterns that we are trying to improve. That's the main difference."

Of course, there will be far greater tests to come for Slot in the months ahead. The Dutchman has been quick to admit the fixture list has been relatively kind to Liverpool so far and has acknowledged that the real test of his team’s credentials will come when they face sterner opposition.

Whether the Reds have what it takes to challenge for major silverware this term will likely become clearer in that fearsome run of 12 games between late October and early December, during which Liverpool will face, among others, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Arsenal.

Ultimately, football is a world in which managers live and die by their results, and that will be no different for Slot. The current furore surrounding the future of his countryman Erik ten Hag, mere months after he led Manchester United to FA Cup glory, is proof enough of how quickly the winds can change in this industry.

But, for now, it seems Slot has taken to life at Anfield like a duck to water. With his fine start to the season in mind, it is perhaps little wonder he is smiling.