Dutch soccer legend Marco van Basten has given his verdict on what makes Arne Slot such an impressive manager.

The 46-year-old, who led Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title in 2023, has taken immediately to life at Anfield. Slot has won 22 of his opening 26 matches in charge and has established a healthy lead in the Premier League table as we near the halfway point.

Liverpool is also sitting top of the Champions League table and has progressed to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup. While his Slot start to life on Merseyside has surprised some in England, that’s not the case in the Netherlands, where expectations were high when he was appointed Liverpool manager.

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Van Basten, one of the greatest-ever Dutch players and a former top-flight coach, feels Slot’s communication, tactical intelligence and calmness are big factors in why he has succeeded at Liverpool.

“I have met him and talked football with Slot a number of times now; tactically he is brilliant. I have rarely been so impressed by a coach,” said Van Basten, as per the Mirror. “But the way he communicates all his football ideas and gets his players to play exactly in that way, is really impressive. Everything about him is calm, because he is mega intelligent.

“Superstars or top players have strong characters and they can be difficult, but Slot is so smart, he can steer them all in the direction where he wants them to go.

“Slot can work at the most difficult clubs because of his intelligence,” Van Basten continued. “I have always said that the bigger the club and the better the players he would have, the easier the job becomes for him.

“Slot can really do this same job anywhere. Whether it’s Liverpool or Bayern Munich - you name it, I am 100 per cent convinced he would be a success there too.”

During his dazzling career, Van Basten won three Ballon d’Ors and helped guide the Netherlands to its only-ever major triumph. It was his spectacular volley in the final of Euro ‘88 that set the Dutch up for a 2-0 win over the Soviet Union.