Robbie Fowler says Arne Slot has done something ‘unbelievable’ since replacing Jurgen Klopp
Arne Slot took on what looked like football’s ultimate poisoned chalice last June when he replaced the legendary Jurgen Klopp in the Liverpool dugout, but so far the Dutchman has exceeded all expectations.
Although the Reds were knocked out of the Champions League last week, they won their first seven games in the competition under him and were edged out on penalties by a superb Paris Saint-Germain side, while also reaching a third Carabao Cup final in four years.
Most significantly, LFC sit 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League going into April, having lost just once in the top flight so far this season. As several pundits have claimed, it’d take a monumental collapse for them not to win the title from here.
Fowler: Slot has been a ‘phenomenal manager’ for Liverpool
Slot has won a firm seal of approval from a true Anfield legend in Robbie Fowler, who couldn’t speak highly enough of how well the 46-year-old has done to ensure that Klopp hasn’t been ‘missed’.
The former Liverpool striker told the PA news agency (via Evening Standard): “The last week was not what we wanted but I think [Slot has] been a phenomenal manager for the club.
“Every Liverpool fan will forgive losing the Champions League and League Cup as, other than a catastrophic development, Liverpool are going to win the Premier League; and for a manager to come in and do that is a phenomenal achievement.
“To sit here and say Liverpool haven’t missed Jurgen is quite an unbelievable statement, considering Jurgen took them to the very top table again.”
Slot has managed the post-Klopp transition perfectly
Some naysayers have tried to detract from Slot’s performance as Liverpool head coach thus far by claiming that he’s basically piggybacked on the excellent squad that Klopp bequeathed to him, but rather than being daunted by the challenge of replacing such an iconic figure in the dugout, he’s properly embraced it.
He’s managed the transition from his predecessor in the right way by remaining loyal to a group of players who’ve served the club brilliantly while also making discernible tweaks to freshen things up after the German’s long reign at Anfield, along with conducting himself in a humble and gracious manner.
Obviously the past week has been difficult for him and Reds supporters, but the international break allows everyone to take a step back and put the season into perspective – nobody in their wildest dreams could’ve realistically anticipated that we’d be 12 points clear at the top of the league this deep into the campaign.
We wouldn’t quite go as far as saying that Klopp hasn’t been missed – his charisma and achievements completely reinvigorated a club which had been drifting a decade ago, and the recent Amazon Prime documentary about his reign has revived poignant memories of his glorious time at Anfield.
Fowler is 100% right about Slot, though. The Dutchman has taken just a few short months to ensure that, rather than constantly pining for the past, Liverpool fans have been able to revel in the present and feel excited about the future. That in itself is, as ‘God’ put it, a phenomenal achievement.
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