After the former midfield maestro ruled himself out of a move, Ruben Amorim was reportedly the leading candidate for the Reds having caught the eye during his time in the dugout for Sporting CP.

And then, out of nowhere, the Merseyside club made their move for Arne Slot.

Slot wanted by Europe’s elite

It caught a number of people off guard. But should it really have been a surprise?

The Feyenoord boss was linked with Chelsea and Tottenham last summer after guiding the Rotterdam-based club to the Eredivisie title. Despite this strong interest, he remained with the Dutch champions.

However, it felt like a matter of when and not if he would soon be snapped up by a bigger club.

With Bayern Munich parting ways with Thomas Tuchel at the end of the campaign, Slot was linked with a move to Bavaria. Prior to Xavi announcing he would be staying with Barcelona, the La Liga giants were linked with the Dutchman. Milan were also reportedly keen on bringing the 45-year-old to the San Siro to replace Stefano Pioli.

Big clubs were perpetually being linked with Slot. But, for whatever reason, he wasn’t one of the favourites to replace Klopp. Not amongst the public, anyway. Looking at it now, it seems like a huge oversight by everyone.

Slot ticks boxes aplenty for Liverpool.

Impressive record in Eredivisie

For starters, the sample size is there. He had AZ overperforming during the 2019/20 campaign. They were level on points with Ajax at the top of the table before the pandemic prematurely ended the season. He then guided Feyenoord to a third-place finish and a Europa Conference League final in his first season with the club.

For a little context here, they had only managed a fifth-place finish during the 2020/21 campaign, finishing with 59 points. Under Slot, they jumped two places and earned 12 more points.

Feyenoord then won the league in Slot’s second season there, finishing seven points clear of PSV. This is an even more impressive achievement when you consider Slot lost Luis Sinisterra, Marcos Senesi, Tyrell Malacia and Fredrik Aursnes in the summer of 2022. These were all key players for De Trots van Zuid.

They did sign the likes of Quinten Timber, Mats Weiffer, Igor Paixao, Santiago Gimenez and David Hancko during the same summer, and these are now integral to Slot’s side. This alone highlights just how good the Dutch manager is.

He lost players many would’ve deemed to be integral to his system, Feyenoord then spent about half of the fees they received on players with potential and now those are the ones being linked with big-money moves away from De Kuip.

Underlying data mightily impressive

Despite having to bed in a number of players, Feyenoord won the Eredivisie last season and the KNVB Cup this season. Slot develops winners.

His style is sustainable too. His Feyenoord team are posting some of the best numbers of any team across Europe’s top seven leagues. They rank second for expected goals for (xGF) per game with 2.72, second for expected goals against (xGA) per game with 0.74, second for shots per game (20.3) and they rank first for fewest shots conceded per games (7.4).

In a nutshell, they create high-value opportunities galore and barely give up opportunities to the opposition. Granted, the Eredivisie isn’t the best league and Feyenoord’s aggressive style allows them to bully a lot of teams, but they can only beat what is in front of them.

Across the past two campaigns, Feyenoord have averaged 2.41 points per match in the Dutch top-flight. They’re on target to match their points haul of 82 from last season. Under normal circumstances, they probably win a second successive title. It just so happens they have come up against a PSV superteam this season. Peter Bosz’s side are on target to hit 92 points from a possible 102.

But that shouldn’t take anything away from Feyenoord and their performances. They are comfortably the second best team in the Dutch top-flight and have lost just two games all season. The Dutch league is famously a two-team league with Ajax and PSV battling it out for the title.

Over the past two seasons, it has been a two-team league but Feyenoord have gatecrashed the top two. And that is Slot’s doing.

How do Slot’s sides set up?

The Rotterdam club are fluid and ruthless on the pitch. Slot tends to set his team up in a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3. The only thing that really changes are the starting positions, they still play out from the back using a double pivot, regardless of the shape, with Timber dropping in beside Weiffer.

Calvin Stengs is the No10 in a 4-2-3-1 and a right-sided No8 in a 4-3-3, he gravitates more towards the right flank and this allows him to cut inside onto his stronger left foot. There are subtle changes to their approach but, for the most part, everything else remains the same.

Slot wants his side to dominate space and suffocate the opposition and this starts from the front.

If he looks to replicate the same system at Anfield, he’ll need certain profiles in certain roles. For example, a box-to-box goal threat to play as the left-sided No8. Curtis Jones or Ryan Gravenberch might be able to make that position their own.

Is a rebuild required?

He’ll want a creator to play as the No10 or the right-sided No8. This could be perfect for Dominik Szoboszlai.

If he wanted to try something a little different, Mohamed Salah could be used there to make the most of the creative side of his game. The Reds would need legs around him so he wouldn’t be having to do excessive running, but on-ball, it could be a perfect role for the three-time Premier League Golden Boot winner.

Then a tempo-setter at the base of the midfield who also does the defensive side of things. Alexis Mac Allister already does this. While some want a more physical player there, and Slot is used to 6ft2 Wieffer there, the Argentine World Cup winner can certainly play that role to a high level.

In attack, the No9 needs to be able to stretch the play and hold the ball up. Maybe Slot can get the best out of Darwin Nunez and develop his all-round skill-set. The wide forwards need to be genuine goal threats with pace to win their individual battles. With this in mind, the wide positions could be an area Liverpool address this summer.

Luis Diaz is probably the best winger at the club and he isn’t exactly explosively quick. He’s also an unreliable finisher. Combine that with the fact there are reports suggesting he could be looking for a move and it does seem logical that the Reds will be looking to bolster their final third options during the upcoming transfer window.

There aren’t really any forwards Slot could bring with him from Feyenoord. Gimenez is probably the only viable option and his arrival would likely spell the end for Nunez at Anfield. Recent reports have hinted that the No9 will remain, at least for another season, to see how he develops under Slot.

The Dutchman could bolster his squad options though by raiding De Kuip. Skipper Lutsharel Geertruida was seen at Liverpool’s recent game against West Ham United. The versatile defender has just 12 months left on his deal and could be available for a cut-price fee.

Wieffer was tentatively linked with a switch to Anfield last summer and he could be on the club’s radar once again if they are looking to find a long-term replacement to Fabinho. David Hancko could be on Liverpool’s list too. The versatile centre-back was reportedly on the club’s radar last year and the Reds do need to replace the departing Joel Matip.

He doesn’t want to go full Erik Ten Hag and turn Liverpool into Feyenoord lite but if these were targets pre-Slot, there would’ve been a plan for them and having a manager who knows how to get the best out of them makes a deal even more inviting.

So a few familiar faces could arrive at Anfield this summer to ease the transitional period for the Dutchman. If it helps him assemble a team capable of putting up similar numbers to his Feyenoord squad, there’s no issue at all with that.

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