Andy Robertson reveals what Arne Slot did straight away at Liverpool after replacing Jurgen Klopp
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Arne Slot’s start to life at Liverpool has been almost perfect, which may seem far from what many expected so early into his reign.
This summer was one of monumental change as Jurgen Klopp left Liverpool after a spell that saw him win an elusive Premier League title along with a Champions League and the domestic cup competitions.
The German head coach took the Reds back to the very top again, so when he announced his exit at the end of the 2023/24 season, there were naturally some concerns.
In years gone by, the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger leaving their posts has only resulted in a downturn of results for their clubs.
Add to that a tough summer transfer window and it seemed as though Arne Slot would have his work cut out for him.
Fast forward to November and Liverpool are top of the Premier League by some distance as part of a relatively smooth transition of power.
It’s something that Andy Robertson discussed recently, revealing the collaboration the new manager had with players at the start of his reign.
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Andy Robertson explains Arne Slot’s first Liverpool discussions
Some managers will come into a club looking to make their own stamp on the team or dressing room, totally dismissing the previous regime.
However, it seems as though Slot has been less about ego and much more about establishing a winning formula quickly.
While that can be seen on the pitch, his work off it may contribute heavily too, having held discussions with players at the start of the season over expectations.
Andy Robertson revealed as much on Liverpool’s latest Reds Roundtable, when he said: “He [Slot] asked us a lot about phones at dinner, things like that.
“He was wanting to see where we all… but he would ask us, and some people don’t do that and I think that’s when our relationship with him started.
“Having meetings and things like that – ‘what are you used to, what am I used to? Right this is why I’m going to do it’ and then he’ll explain it.
“And then we went back and said to the lads ‘ok this is now what’s going to happen’ and so on.”
It’s a clear look into the man-management skills that Slot has available to him to get the players on side and working for the cause.
Given the length of time they all played for Klopp, it would be natural to feel a cultural shift but making it less of a seismic event and more of a collaboration makes it much easier to settle.
Arne Slot stats compared to Jurgen Klopp
It’s fair to say that Slot and Klopp had very different starts to their journey at Liverpool, with the latter joining mid-way through the season.
For that reason, it would be easy to look at the new manager’s start to life at Anfield and think he could go on to greatness – though it’s still early days.
After 11 games, Slot has nine wins, one draw and one defeat to his name in the Premier League and has put the side at the top.
Compare that to Klopp who had three defeats, three draws and five victories in his opening 11 matches and it shows how tough that transition can be.
| Slot | Klopp | |
| Wins | 9 | 5 |
| Draws | 1 | 3 |
| Defeats | 1 | 3 |
| Goals for | 21 | 14 |
| Goals against | 6 | 12 |
It’s clear that Slot has adjusted well, the question will be whether he can keep that up to win the title and beyond that, when the team will become viewed as his rather than his predecessor’s.
