Slot, who constantly presents statistics to his players, won the Dutch Cup this past weekend despite having a much smaller budget than his competitors.
The identity of Jurgen Klopp’s successor is still unknown, but Sporting chairman Ruben Amorim was the most recent to be virtually ruled out when he traveled to England for negotiations with West Ham.
Though many will be unfamiliar with Slot, he has swiftly emerged as the new favorite of the bookmakers. Let’s take a closer look at him.
Arne Slot’s Style of Play
The 45-year-old managed Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar before moving on to play in management. He played his whole playing career in the Netherlands.
His style has previously been described as “high-energy attacking football in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 with two deep-lying midfielders and a reliance on wingers to create chances.” He loves to use a 4-2-3-1 configuration, although it is by no means inflexible.
Having led Feyenoord since 2021–2022, his team presently has the second-most goals scored (77) and the best defensive record in the Eredivisie, having given up just 23 goals in 30 games.
The Coaches Voice claims that Slot’s team is “comfortable dropping into a more reserved block” if there isn’t a chance to get the ball back and that he doesn’t “overcommit to the high press.”
He is not hesitant to put his faith in youth and plays an appealing, aggressive brand of football. His man-management abilities have also received a lot of recognition.
Instead of taking a possession-based strategy and expecting his team to play with intensity, Slot opposes careless movement, which would be Klopp’s legacy.
Explaining his approach with Feyenoord, Slot told UEFA: “We are an attack-minded team that likes to have a lot of the ball, and we play with a lot of intensity.
“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. I think we are a team that is difficult to beat.”
Klopp has consistently said that last sentence to us!
Despite having only been a senior manager for five years, he has already been compared to Marcelo Bielsa because he prefers his center backs to move wider and his full-backs high up the play.
Awards & Achievements
It makes sense that Slot has drawn attention given that he advanced to the Europa Conference League final in his first season with the club, won the Eredivisie title in his second, and the KNVB Cup in his third.
He was a serious contender to succeed Harry Kane at Tottenham just last summer, and Feyenoord technical director Dennis te Kloese is operating under the presumption that he won’t be looking for a new manager this year, despite the player’s increasing attention.
