4 weeks ago
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Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
Ahead of Liverpool’s visit to the Emirates, we do a vibe check of the current squad.
Liverpool head to North London to take on Arsenal in what is an early match-up of title challengers - or, at least in the case of Liverpool, a club on the cusp of being placed in the mix of those running for the big prize. It’s a spot that isn’t wholly unfamiliar to Liverpool fans over the last 10 years or so, with Jurgen Klopp and the entire operation ushering an era of stability and quality at the club that finally helped link newer fans like me - hello, fellow Children of the Hodgepocalypse - to the kind of expectation of standards that marked fans who’d been around for Liverpool’s past glories.
Whether or not Liverpool are “true” title challengers is a game of semantics, played out in pubs and across the digital and physical ink of the punditry (my humble offerings included), and we’ve done our bit to offer a sense of how we feel about that specific web of questions. But something that often does play into title challenges, especially when the margins feel as tight as they do in this era of Premier League play, are “soft” factors. Things like how the club seems to be in terms of presenting a united front.
One of the big concerns headed into any major transition like replacing a legendary manager is about stability. How will the new leadership work to implement their style of play? How will the leadership help the players to navigate the change?
I’m not fond of buzzy, corporate speak but change management is something that is an important facet of any healthy organization. We know that stagnation is often endemic of teams that peter-out. And there’s been some reason to ask questions about that towards the end of Jurgen Klopp’s tenure. In Klopp’s own words, one might be able to parse a sense that he’d felt his voice had stopped carrying the necessary spur or vigor to encourage the team to achieve something bigger. As an aside, it remains one of his most admirable traits that Klopp, at a position where a healthy ego is the bare minimum, was so self-aware and possessed as to recognize that truth - among the other truths he saw - and stepped aside before his welcome was truly gone.
And in doing so, he left a rich and talented squad for someone who might be able to work out new wrinkles and harness their energy to bring about opportunities to reach new heights. Heights that Arne Slot has, to this point, managed to steer Liverpool to.
The caveat and qualifier for all of the observations is that it’s early, but the team has not only started to form a playing identity that’s rather remarkable - steely defense, mature game management, capable if more workmanly attack - but also have seemingly taken on the balanced emotional expression of their coach. They looks rather composed on the ball and rarely look panicked or stretched - even when the play isn’t going their way.
And to a man, the team seem focused an united. A massive testament to Slot’s guidance during this period, but also a reflection of the leadership qualities apparent across the squad. There is a buy-in to Slot’s vision: that if we all do our little part, we’ll see success. It’s not the sexy, all-out barrage of Klopp’s heavy metal football, but it is getting the job done.
Of course, things are easy when the results are flowing. And an inevitability in sport is that there will come a time when the team will hit a rough patch and really be asked to reveal their nature. But what I’ve seen to this point has approached a masterwork in organizational transition; one that has eluded “bigger” and more well-monied clubs.
I am a sports fan, so I know I won’t be content with anything but all 3 points. But, I also know that I’ll be able to look at everything to this point and feel quite settled and satisfied. Slot’s tenure has been quite impressive. Here’s hoping it and the good vibes throughout the squad continue for a long, long time.
