Liverpool told what Arne Slot does way better than Erik ten Hag by man who played for both

Though it's completely unfair, Arne Slot has faced comparisons to Erik ten Hag. There have been fears that the incoming Liverpool boss could underwhelm in England, much like his Manchester United counterpart.

Generously, those concerns stem from the question of how much of a challenge it is to make the step from the Eredivisie to the Premier League. But more accurately, people are seeing a bald Dutch coach and jumping to baffling conclusions.

In its extensive search, Liverpool will have addressed the question of whether the leap from Feyenoord is too big for Slot. Clearly, Michael Edwards and his team have decided that it is not.

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And while ultimately only time will tell, a player who has featured under both Slot and Ten Hag is in a good position to highlight their differences. According to Mark Diemers, the man chosen as Jürgen Klopp's heir has one clear advantage.

"I choose Arne Slot [as the best manager I've worked with]", Diemers, who played under Ten Hag at Utrecht and Slot at Feyenoord, told ESPN Netherlands. "I can only talk from my time.

"I found Ten Hag insanely good tactically, so were his training sessions. I just didn’t think he was very good, at that time, on a human level. But that was already six or seven years ago. I thought Slot was a lot stronger on a human level.

"Look at what kind of clubs [Ten Hag] has worked at, so he must also have qualities on a human level. I still have contact with him via WhatsApp. Then he also comes across as very friendly to me. He will undoubtedly have grown on a human level as well."

While Ten Hag may well have grown in that department, his time at Manchester United has been punctuated by disciplinary issues and public fallings-out. Tactics are obviously important, but man management is a crucial side of the game.

Edwards will have had a tricky time analyzing it, with player testimonies the only real way of getting reliable insight, but Liverpool will certainly have wanted to appoint someone who knows how to unite a squad. Anyone with any hope of replacing Klopp, a master man manager, will need to possess that skill.

And if Diemers' word is anything to go by, Liverpool has plumped for the right man. Let's hope comparisons to Ten Hag fall away within a few months of Slot being in the job.

Liverpool.com says: It's clear that Liverpool wants a coach who can foster harmony within the ranks. It's significant, after all, that Thomas Tuchel has hardly been linked at all, despite his track record of success.

Likewise, while there were a few more links to Julian Nagelsmann, he did not end up making the really serious conversations. In fact, no club snapped him up, after he renewed with the German national team.

At the top level, most coaches are excellent tacticians, albeit clearly to varying degrees. It's important to have a clear identity and plan, but it's just as important to have a manager who can lead and inspire, and the signs with Slot are promising.