Arne Slot: Manager Profile, Career, and Achievements

The football world was caught off guard when Jurgen Klopp announced last season that he wouldn’t be staying at Liverpool after his contract ended. Many Liverpool fans began questioning whether anyone could fill Klopp’s big shoes. But these concerns are starting to disappear with just a few games into the new season. It’s starting to look like Liverpool has gotten it right with the new manager, Arne Slot.

So far, the team has been doing amazingly well under Slot’s management. They’re scoring goals consistently and, even more impressively, they’re the only team in the EPL that hasn’t conceded a goal yet. Indeed, it might seem too early to begin envisioning a replication of the success achieved under Klopp’s era. Still, given Slot’s impressive start and track record, there’s evidence that he could take Liverpool to outstanding heights.

In fact, many pundits, supporters, and punters are already backing Liverpool as a strong contender for the Premier League title, with some even predicting they will win it outright.  Speaking of betting, you can read more about the best odds on EPL events or other exciting real-money games here.

That said, this article will take a closer look at Arne Slot’s managerial journey from his early days in Dutch football to his Eredivisie exploits with Feyenoord. We’ll examine the clubs he’s managed over the years, his performances at those clubs, and his overall career record.

Early Career

Arne Slot wasted no time going into coaching after hanging up his boots in 2013. Just as his playing career ended, he took up a role as a youth coach at PEC Zwolle, the club he was with at the time. However, his stay in that position was relatively brief. Just after a year, he left the role to accept an opportunity to serve as Henk de Jong’s assistant at SC Cambuur, which was competing in the Eredivisie at the time.

Over the next two years, Slot worked as an assistant under three different managers at Cambuur. And when the third manager, Rob Maas, was sacked following their relegation to the Eerste Divisie, Slot was promoted to interim head coach alongside Sipke Hulshoff.

Together, Slot and Hulshoff guided Cambuur to a third-place finish but narrowly missed out on promotion after losing in the playoffs. Despite their league setback, the duo led the team to a historic KNVB Cup semi-final, the first time the club had ever reached that stage.

AZ Alkmaar (2019 – 2020)

When another opportunity to return to the Eredivisie came in 2017, Arne Slot decided to take it. He moved on from SC Cambuur to join AZ Alkmaar as an assistant coach under John van den Brom. He spent two seasons in this role, and during that time, AZ secured third and fourth-place finishes in the league. The team also made it to the KNVB Cup final on one occasion but ended up losing to Feyenoord by three goals.

For the 2019/20 season, van den Brom left AZ to manage FC Utrecht, and immediately after his departure, Arne Slot was appointed the head coach. Slot’s tenure at AZ got off to a flying start. The team collected an impressive 19 points from their first eight Eredivisie games, setting a record for the highest points tally after eight matches in the league’s history. However, the season was soon disrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic, which paused football leagues worldwide. When play eventually resumed, AZ finished second in the Eredivisie, only missing out on the title due to goal difference. The Eredivisie title was, however, not awarded for that season.

In a surprising twist, Slot was sacked midway through his second season at AZ. The club dismissed him, claiming his focus had shifted after negotiating a deal with Feyenoord. At the time of his departure, AZ was seventh in the league and had just secured a historic 1-0 victory over Napoli in the Europa League. In fact, at the time, Slot was averaging  2.11 points per game, which was the highest of any coach in AZ Alkmaar’s history.

Feyenoord 2021 – 2024

The two-season deal Arne Slot signed with Feyenoord saw him become its manager for the 2021/22 season. In his debut season, he led the team to a respectable third-place finish in the Eredivisie and guided them to the UEFA Europa Conference League final, but they lost to Roma by a goal.

Arne Slot’s journey with Feyenoord only got better in his second season. He steered Feyenoord to their first Eredivisie title since 2017, and he took them to the semi-finals of the KNVB Cup and the quarter-finals of the Europa League. While they didn’t lift the Europa trophy, Slot’s team delivered exceptional performances that will not be forgotten in haste. One of these was their 7–1 demolition of Shakhtar Donetsk, which marked the club’s biggest win in European competition since 1995.

Slot ended up becoming the first Feyenoord manager to win 15 matches in European football.  He was also awarded the Rinus Michels Award for Eredivisie Manager of the Year at the end of that season. By the third season, his Feyenoord team finished as runners-up in the Eredivisie, falling just five points short of retaining the league title. However, the season still ended on a high note, with the team winning the KNVB Cup after defeating NEC Nijmegen in the final.

Overall, Slot’s tenure at Feyenoord was filled with historic moments, league titles, cup victories, and solid European runs. Many football pundits now consider him one of the best managers in the club’s history, praising his tactical brilliance, ability to maximize his squad’s potential, and the lasting impact he made during his time there.

Liverpool

With such an impressive track record, it’s no surprise that Slot caught the attention of a club as prestigious as Liverpool. Slot himself has wasted no time hitting the ground running with three wins out of three to kick off his tenure. His ability to quickly implement his tactical philosophy while maintaining the club’s tradition of high-energy football has been nothing short of impressive. The team’s dynamic attacking play, combined with a rock-solid defense, is making fans buzz with excitement and hope that the team will bring titles home.

Conclusion

Although it’s still in the early days, there’s a growing belief that Slot might not only uphold Klopp’s high standards but also carve out his own legacy at Anfield. Only time will tell, but the early signs suggest that Arne Slot could be the perfect fit for Liverpool’s next chapter.