‘Unless you are perfect…’ – Liverpool stalwart shares training ground insight on Arne Slot
Liverpool vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold has shared an insight into what it’s like working under Arne Slot.
The Dutchman took on the unenviable task of following in Jurgen Klopp’s footsteps earlier this year but has so far made the transition look seamless, winning 13 of his first 15 matches in charge and guiding the Reds to the summit of the Premier League just past the quarterway mark of the season.
LFC’s number 66 partook in a Q&A session with Jamie Carragher at Football For Change’s annual gala at the Titanic Hotel last weekend when he was asked what his new boss is like in comparison to his illustrious predecessor.
Trent lauds ‘perfectionist’ Slot
Trent said of Slot (via Liverpool Echo): “I think a lot of it is kind of the same but he allows me to play the game with the ball and I think a lot of it without the ball, you know, he is probably hard on me.
“I’d say he is definitely a perfectionist, so he searches for perfection and when you get a compliment, you know you have earned it, type of thing…
“He is a perfectionist and unless you are perfect, which is not possible, they are always going to pick out one or two things in your game you could have improved. It keeps us on our toes, keeps us wanting to impress, wanting to get better and it helps us. So far it is working, so hopefully we can carry on like that.”
Slot’s approach has worked wonders so far
Slot will have been acutely aware of the stratospherically high standards that Liverpool set under Klopp, and having inherited a high-achieving squad from the German, the 46-year-old will have known that he needed to set the tone right from the start as to what he expects from his players.
It’s evident from Trent’s comments, and the Reds’ results on the pitch, that the Dutchman’s no-nonsense approach is working wonders and getting a tune out of those in the dressing room.
As Carragher referenced in that Q&A, Rafael Benitez was notorious for withholding praise among his squad when he was in charge at Anfield, although the man currently in the dugout appears to be more affable than the infamously distant Spaniard while still striving for perfection.
So long as Slot keeps the wins coming on matchdays, nobody can complain about the demands that he places on his players. From what Trent has said, that insatiable appetite for accepting nothing but the best has worked a treat so far.
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