Arne Slot at Liverpool: What we can expect in FPL

The appointment of Arne Slot as the new Liverpool head coach is an interesting one for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers.

The Dutchman has signed a three-year deal with the Reds after leaving Feyenoord, where he had enjoyed three seasons of success, establishing himself as one of the most sought-after coaches in Europe.

Nevertheless, Slot is unproven outside of the Netherlands, so it is a bit of a gamble.

We’ll analyse the man tasked with replacing Jurgen Klopp in the article below.

ARNE SLOT: THE HISTORY

*Season cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic
CL – Champions League, EL – Europa League, ECL – Europa Conference League

Arne Slot played professionally in Holland for 18 years, mainly as a midfielder. He retired in 2013 but slid seamlessly into coaching, starting with youth roles before becoming an assistant at SC Cambuur.

Later appointed joint-head coach alongside Sipke Hulshoff, Slot guided the club from a bottom-half finish to third in his only season in charge. They also reached the semi-final of the Dutch Cup.

His next management job came two years later at AZ Alkmaar for the 2019/20 season. AZ were joint-top of the Eredivisie with nine matches left to play when COVID struck and the campaign was abandoned. That same season he steered AZ to the UEFA Europa League round of 32.

Slot then agreed to join Feyenoord. And what followed was his greatest achievement so far.

In his first season, the 45-year-old led the Rotterdam club to the final of the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League, where they lost 1-0 to Jose Mourinho’s Roma. The year after, however, they won the Eredivisie title for only the second time this century.

Feyenoord failed to successfully defend their crown in 2023/24, finishing runners-up, but Slot helped the club win the Dutch Cup in April. While there, he was named Eredivisie Coach of the Year twice.

ARNE SLOT: PLAYING STYLE/ TACTICS

Feyenoord turned into an ultra-aggressive, high-pressing side under Arne Slot, with an emphasis on possession-based attacking football.

It all sounds very Pep Guardiola.

Not surprising, however, given that Slot has previously stated just how much the Catalan has influenced his approach.

“I certainly don’t want to compare myself to Pep, but he is a control freak just like me. Manchester City – and again it is not my intention to compare us with them – have a similar style of play to how we want to play with Feyenoord: 4-3-3, building up from the back, wanting to apply pressure quickly.” – Arne Slot

Feyenoord also share traits with Klopp’s Liverpool.

Whether playing a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, Slot’s preferred formation (more on that later), the Rotterdam club look to pin opponents back by playing a high defensive line and pressing intensely.

“When we don’t have the ball, we want to win it back as quickly as possible by being aggressive and pressing to win back possession.” – Arne Slot

“Arne’s way of playing is very much in line with the game that Klopp plays. It is different but the principles are the same.” – Dirk Kuyt

To summarise, they’re a very aggressive team, they press loads and they like to attack.

Slot favours a 4-2-3-1 formation but it sometimes resembles a 4-3-3, largely due to Calvin Stengs’ free-roaming midfield role.

The principles remain the same, however: right-back Lutsharel Geertruida ‘inverts’, Quinten Timber plays in central midfield but can advance forward, while the wingers (Yankuba Minteh and Igor Paixao) are quick and very direct.

Both are goal threats (see below) and are equally comfortable hitting the byline to cross or taking up narrower roles, closer to centre-forward Santiago Gimenez.

FEYENOORD SQUAD BREAKDOWN: 2023/24

*Minimum 10 Eredivisie starts
*Stats taken from WhoScored

ARNE SLOT: THE FPL PROSPECTS

Feyenoord had the second-best attack in the Eredivisie last season.

They scored 92 goals from 93.1 xG, so we probably don’t need to worry too much about Liverpool’s attack, given Slot’s front-foot approach. If the opening fixtures fall kindly, a midfielder and/or forward could prove hard to resist.

Defensively, however, there are question marks.

While Feyenoord allowed just 26 goals from 26.2 xG last term (the best defensive metric in the Eredivisie), Liverpool were hardly a sound defensive unit during the run-in. So, Slot must find a way of fixing their shaky foundations.

We should also expect a bedding-in period.

The quality of football is considerably higher in the Premier League, of course, so it could take a few months before we start to see real consistency, both in terms of results and performances.

Still, the players should at least be able to get to grips with Slot’s style fairly quickly. He isn’t a like-for-like replacement for Klopp, but there are parallels.

Tactically, it remains to be seen if Trent Alexander-Arnold will be used at right-back or central midfield. If he’s part of a double-pivot on a permanent basis, it could free up Conor Bradley, who has all the attributes to thrive in a Slot system.

Further forward, Luis Diaz could be used to great effect, given that the Dutchman likes his wingers to stay high and wide. A word of warning, however, he often substitutes his wideman early because he asks so much of them.

Whoever lands the no 10 role feels key, too. That could be Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo or Harvey Elliott, who profiles a bit like Stengs. Slot’s experience at Feyenoord certainly suggests he will give youth a chance next season, which could benefit the latter.

As for Mohamed Salah, could a central role beckon, or will Darwin Nunez/Diogo Jota spearhead the Liverpool attack?

All eyes then will be on pre-season and Liverpool’s dealings over the summer to see if we can glean any further clues as to Slot’s preferred choice of personnel and whether they can be viable Fantasy options in 2024/25.

One thing is for sure, it’s going to be very exciting.

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