Jurgen Klopp has praised Arne Slot’s immediate impact on Liverpool, stating that Slot’s influence is already “obvious.”
While Klopp expressed that he doesn’t miss the managerial role, he admitted that he does miss his former players.
Slot made his Premier League debut last Saturday, guiding Liverpool to a 2-0 victory over Ipswich.
This match marked the beginning of the post-Klopp era, with Slot succeeding Klopp, who had managed Liverpool for nearly nine years.
During his tenure, Klopp led the team to a Champions League title in 2019, a Premier League title in 2020, an FA Cup, and two League Cup victories.
Replacing the German coach was always going to be a formidable task.
However, Klopp expressed his satisfaction with Liverpool’s choice of Slot and the timely completion of the managerial transition in the summer.
In an interview with ESPN Netherlands, Klopp remarked: “Arne, yeah. Really good coach.
“I was really happy when I heard that Liverpool was going for Arne Slot.
“I wasn’t involved in anything, it should not be like that, and I’m not this kind of guy in the background, still having some strings and stuff.
“Like I don’t want that.
“The club is too big, too good. [The] People are too good.
“A lot of things changed since we left. But the only concern for me was, will they get a good coach?
“Liverpool was early and Liverpool got a top, top, top solution in Arne Slot.”
He added: “I like his football a lot [how he] played it with, with [Feyenoord], so that’s really good.
“I saw the Sevilla game, the preseason friendly at Anfield — big parts of it were really good. And the league game [against Ipswich], the second half was obviously really good.
“But it’s not important that I like it, you can see he is a very good coach and the team, I know now better than most, is a really good squad, is a really good team.
“So it’ll work out really well.”
Klopp and Slot communicated early in the handover period and have maintained contact since.
After observing Liverpool’s preseason and their victory over Ipswich, Klopp has already noticed clear signs of Slot’s philosophy taking hold at the club.
“We spoke one or two times [at the start]. I think we texted a few more times. But there is nothing I can tell him what he couldn’t know himself,” Klopp said.
“Right now from my side, just to give positive feedback in the beginning because we are all human beings and he worked his socks off.
“I know that because the tour is super intense in a year when you have Euros and Copa, you don’t have the team together, but they come, you have one week until the first matchday and stuff like that.
“So I think he had similar situation, but exactly the same situation? Definitely not.
“When I saw the games, that’s why I watched it, not to think, oh, how does it look?
“The work he did was obvious, the ideas obvious. And that’s the best you can say about the coach.”
Since leaving the club, Klopp has stayed in touch with several players, including captain Virgil van Dijk.
“Unbelievable player,” Klopp said of Van Dijk.
“Unbelievable player. Unbelievable guy.
“So I miss them. I don’t miss the job, [but] I miss all the people there.
“We can, we can see each other whenever we want in the future.”
Van Dijk’s contract expires at the end of the season, but Klopp remained tight-lipped about the potential outcome of his former captain’s future with the club.
“I have no idea what he, what they will do,” the former coach said.
“And it’s all their own decision.
“They are grown-ups. They will do the right stuff.”
Klopp is currently taking a break from management and has committed to a year away from the game.
He feels “fully charged” after nine weeks of relaxation following his departure from Liverpool and has no plans to return before his self-imposed 365-day hiatus ends.
During the summer, he enjoyed time with family, watched the Olympics, played padel, and closely monitored his former Liverpool assistant, Pep Lijnders, who is now in charge of RB Salzburg.
“I didn’t say I can go again,” he said.
“It’s just, I’m in a good mood?
“Yeah. Life is different if we are not responsible for these kind of things, so I really enjoy that.
“I enjoy still watching football and especially Salzburg right now because, [manager] Pep [Lijnders] is super important to me so I like watching it and like to see the progress.
“I saw Liverpool playing as well [which] was really good.
“These are the things I watched, but besides that, it was a lot of Olympics and stuff like that.
“Brilliant summer so far. You have to organise the time off as well, because a lot of people want to meet you and stuff like that.
“So we had to calm down a little bit, but we are fine.
“We have spent now three proper weeks with the grandkids and the kids together. It was beautiful.”
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