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Liverpool icon John Barnes hails Arne Slot tweaks to perfect Jurgen Klopp's work but shares warning

John Barnes loves what he has seen from Arne Slot
-Credit: (Image: Sky Sports)


Liverpool legend John Barnes has heaped praise on Arne Slot after his sensational start as Reds boss, with the Dutchman claiming maximum points from his first three games in charge.

The Dutchman replaced Jurgen Klopp in the summer after the German brought his glorious tenure to an end, and replacing him at Anfield appeared to be an unenviable task.

But former Feyenoord manager Slot has made a perfect first impression on Merseyside, picking up wins over Ipswich Town and Brentford before romping to a 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford before the international break.

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Barnes believes Slot has managed to blend his own possession-based ideals with the high-intensity legacy left behind by Klopp, but he has urged fans not to get carried away.

“It’s a great start,” Barnes told Sky Sports News. “I was over in America with them on the preseason tour and they did a lot of work tactically in particular because the football is going to change.

“The good thing for me in the first three games is in terms of our intensity, our press and our ability to work hard off the ball, that hasn’t changed. In possession, we’re probably playing a bit more considered and passing the ball in midfield and a bit more composed.

Slot has taken maximum points from his opening three games
Slot has taken maximum points from his opening three games -Credit:Getty Images

“But out of possession and on the counterattack, it’s exactly the same, so he has taken a lot of the good elements from Jurgen Klopp and he’s added his own.

“It’s a great start, but that’s all it is. Three games gone, we couldn’t have asked for any more, but I don’t want everyone to get carried away and think we are going to continue this. It will be great if we can, but we could have asked for any more from the first three games.”

The Reds are second in the Premier League table after three games, behind only Manchester City on goal difference. Slot’s men are yet to concede this season, but Barnes says they should not take too much satisfaction from the win over United.

Instead, he says, their season will be defined not by results in the biggest games by their ability to find consistency against lower-profile opponents.

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“It’s not about beating Manchester United, it’s about beating everybody else. That’s where the consistency comes from,” Barnes explained. “It’s easy to raise your game against the big boys, but what Liverpool have done since Jurgen Klopp has been there and back in my day is it is about playing everybody else.

“It’s not about raising your game against City or United and feeling happy because you’ve done that. It’s about how you perform and do you play with the same attitude and commitment in every single game?

“You don’t prioritize Man United, and I’m sure they won’t do that. So while it’s great to beat Man United, that’s what we want to see every week.”