New Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has a number of issues to address as he inherits the legacy left by Jurgen Klopp.
With the start of pre-season, the PA news agency looks at what lies ahead for the Dutchman.
Establish a connection
Slot can only dream of having the instant impact of his predecessor, who had the media eating out of his hand at his first press conference and fans, who had been tracking his plane from Germany, onboard immediately with his positive outlook. Klopp’s ability to gauge the mood and understand the city was one of his many qualities and Slot needs to negotiate his way towards “getting” the Scouse fanbase as quickly as possible.
Be your own man
No one, not the fans and even less so the players, wants a ‘knock-off’ Klopp and Slot should not even try to emulate the German. He has got the job on the back of what he has achieved at AZ and Feyenoord, where he established his own style and way of working, and he needs to have the confidence to bring that to Anfield. Change can be difficult but footballers are adaptable and the quicker Slot can impose his philosophy, the easier it will be. And while the Dutchman will not be expected to have Klopp’s charisma, he still has to be able to lead from the front and speak with authority on a wide array of matters when it comes to delivering his messages via the media.
Squad certainty
While contract negotiations are beyond his remit – sporting director Richard Hughes is likely to take the lead on that – Slot will no doubt want guarantees on the futures of Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who are all entering the final year of their contracts. Tying that trio down to longer stays would provide a positive boost for the start of his reign and provide some stability in a summer of transition. At his first press conference, Slot played down the prospect of major transfers, suggesting he was happy to make improvements to the squad he inherited.
Decide what to do with Darwin Nunez
An extension of the squad question focuses on the hit-and-miss Uruguay international. Nunez was the regular scapegoat when Liverpool did not win despite creating numerous chances. It led to increased speculation about his future, not helped by starting six of their last seven games on the bench. There is no denying the statistics which showed he had the worst big-chance conversion rate of forwards who have had at least 10 clear-cut chances, missing 26 of his 32 big openings, but the feeling remains that there is plenty still to work with.
Improve the defence
There has been much focus on Slot’s talents as an offensive coach but two clean sheets in Liverpool’s last 16 matches showed where the cracks were. Van Dijk may be almost back to his very best but different centre-back partners and injuries did not help. Joel Matip’s release at the end of his contract means they are short in that position and a decision has to be made whether to bring in a senior partner or another player with potential and persist with youngster Jarell Quansah, who recently received his first England call-up, and the inconsistent Ibrahima Konate.
