Arne Slot has confirmed that he has spoken to Liverpool assistant coach John Heitinga to tap into his knowledge ahead of the Dutchman’s first Merseyside derby as Reds head coach.
However, Slot isn’t expecting to uncover any insider secrets from his compatriot.
John Heitinga will return to Goodison Park for the first time as a Liverpool employee, having made 140 appearances during his four-and-a-half seasons with Everton.
Last season, he worked alongside his former Everton manager David Moyes at West Ham United, serving as one of the Scot’s assistant coaches.
As a result, Heitinga is well-placed to offer valuable insight into Moyes.
However, Slot has already seen enough from Everton since Moyes returned to Goodison Park last month to recognise the growing impact the manager is having on the Blues.
“Of course I asked him, ‘how did you guys experience the Merseyside derby from that side?’” Slot said of Heitinga.
“And I think both teams experienced it the same, like every player around the world, like I have experienced the derbies I have played in.
“Those are such important games for everyone that is involved in both clubs and yes, he worked with David Moyes so, yes, he knows how he wants to play.
“But I just watched the last three or four games, I can see the structure he had at West Ham and that he had before at United and that he had before at West Ham and that he had before at Everton.
“So he has a clear idea how he wants the team to play and that is something very positive for a manager.
“If you just look at his team, it doesn’t matter which shirts they wear and you just say, ‘ah, this is a David Moyes team’ or ‘this is a Pep Guardiola team’.
“And this is something he always brings and that is a great accomplishment because that is not done by every manager.
“You know what you get when you bring David Moyes in and that is mostly success.”
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