Arne Slot reveals important factor in Liverpool hiring him as manager

• Slot has enjoyed record-breaking start at Anfield, winning 14 of first 16 games
• Dutchman’s style of football slightly different to that of predecessor Jurgen Klopp
• Reds boss believes it was important Liverpool believed in his philosophy when hiring

Arne Slot says it was important that Liverpool chose to hire him as their new manager because of the style of football he plays, not because he’d won the Eredivisie title with Feyenoord.

The Dutchman has made a terrific, record-breaking start as Liverpool boss, winning 14 of his first 16 games in charge. The Reds are top of the Premier League, are unbeaten in the Champions League after four matchdays, and have conceded just ten goals while scoring 37 at the other end.

Slot’s style of play has been constantly compared to that of predecessor Jurgen Klopp, who always demanded a high-octane, turbo charged brand of football from his players.

The pace has slowed down a little under Slot but there are some similarities to how Klopp set Liverpool up – something the new manager referred to in his pre-match comments to TNT Sports ahead of Saturday night’s clash with Aston Villa at Anfield.

“In general, I think what Jurgen’s teams like to do and what my teams like to do as well is to press really high, sometimes it’s maybe a bit different in formation, but the idea is the same, and we both like to score goals,” Slot said.

“For me it was really important that they (Liverpool) chose me because of the way I play and not because I won the league in Holland.

“My expectations were not about the amount of wins or those kind of things, when you come in at a new club you want the team to play as soon as they can to the standards you want them to play, getting across your ideas as soon as we can.”

Liverpool’s strong start has fueled talk they could be Premier League title contenders this season, but Slot insisted in his pre-match press conference that inside the dressing room expectations are being managed, with the focus instead on delivering on basic principles each and every week.

“I’m not trying to manage expectations with the squad because we don’t talk about expectations,” he said. “We do talk about expectations and the only expectations I have is that they put the same effort in on a daily basis, like they’ve done for the past three, four, five months and probably for the last six or seven years – but I’m only here for three, four, five months now.

“That’s the only expectation there is – that they work every day as hard as they can to get their habits, our habits, what we want to see on the pitch in the best possible way. And with that, normally results come as well. But I’m not asking them to win every game – I’m hoping they do – but what I do ask from them is they put the effort in on a daily basis, and that’s the only thing we focus on.”