Arne Slot’s Liverpool: less heavy metal, more smooth jazz

From heavy metal to jazz. Anfield may be morphing from English football’s version of a Castle Donington gig to a night out at Ronnie Scott’s.

That is a synopsis of the difference between Jürgen Klopp and his successor. The past nine years have been predominantly about playing quick-quick-quick-quick. Arne Slot-ball is a bit more quick-slow-slow-quick, elaborate tempo changes that enable all the freestyling to be directed at the opposition’s penalty area.

It has been said, only in whispers, since the legend departed last summer, but a mid-game reduction of their heart rate is what this side need to reach the next level.

For balance, it must be said that the most successful Klopp team between 2018-2020 had those qualities too – fully matured during those Champions League and Premier League title-winning seasons when fixtures stopped being so frantic and Liverpool’s midfielders mastered the art of shutting a game down once ahead. It’s pretty much what Manchester City do every time they score – switching rapidly into ‘game over’ mode by starving their opponents of the ball. This is also what has made Arsenal so impressive for the past 12 months.

There is a sense that Liverpool are emerging from their era in football’s fast lane, when the referee’s whistle was like an engine revving as the pedal was pushed to the floor for their famed ‘full throttle’ game.

At their best, Liverpool have been  Europe’s most accomplished team at retrieving possession, although on high-octane evenings they were prepared to risk losing as they tried to send Mohamed Salah surging forward for a one-on-one with their opponents’ goalkeeper.

It was thrilling, it was chaotic, and it was occasionally too much for the nerves of spectators left dazed by these end-to-end encounters, no matter what the quality of the visitor. Liverpool’s home record was so staggeringly good, a seat inside the stadium was the hottest ticket in town for neutrals and fans alike. Even sides handsomely beaten still left Anfield thinking they had had a chance, cursing the brilliance of Alisson Becker, or the ceaseless capacity of Virgil van Dijk to make a last-ditch tackle.

The early signs under Slot are that Liverpool are heading towards a semblance of order, the final 10 minutes of the Dutchman’s first competitive Anfield win notable for the numerous passing sequences designed to kill all hope of a Brentford comeback. If this is to become the norm, fans may even accept it when home wins fizzle out amid an exhibition of keep-ball.

With some humility, Slot suggested this may have been the progression Klopp was seeking had he committed to leading Liverpool 2.0 to the next level.

“I inherited a team and we tried to keep a lot almost the same and try to adjust maybe one or two things where we think we can win,” said Slot, who had to calm down Trent Alexander-Arnold after Liverpool’s vice-captain displayed discontent at being substituted.

“If Jürgen would have stayed he would have tried to find these one or two things where he could improve the team. But it’s not a surprise this team plays like this, and it shouldn’t be a surprise for you, you saw them playing like this many times this season.”

A period of adjustment will be needed, the occasional sigh of frustration audible when Dominik Szoboszlai refused to attempt a defence-splitting pass to substitute Darwin Núñez, presumably under the instruction not to take risks with the game won. Liverpool created enough chances to have scored twice as many goals, but the attacking bursts tended to follow quieter periods.

This could simply be part of a bedding-in period, of course, with players seeking the fitness levels required to sustain high-octane dominance for 90 minutes. Szoboszlai, especially, did not stop running and could be forgiven for taking the chance to slow the game as often as he did.

There will come a point when these constant comparisons end. Skipper Van Dijk was vocal in calling for them to end sooner rather than later as every pitchside mannerism of the new manager was compared to his predecessor’s sometimes frantic touchline demeanour.

Perhaps the competitive home debut is the moment where the world finally moves on.

It has made for the perfect start to an era, Liverpool finding various rhythms to make a seamless transition under their new coach.