Liverpool manager Arne Slot has shared his thoughts on spending Christmas away from his family for the first time since moving to England.
Slot, who joined the Reds in the summer after departing Feyenoord, revealed that his wife and children remained in the Netherlands while he embarked on his new challenge on Merseyside.
Despite the personal sacrifice, Slot has enjoyed a near-flawless start to life at Anfield.
Liverpool head into the festive period sitting four points clear at the top of the Premier League, with a game in hand over second-placed Chelsea.
The Reds have also been perfect in Europe, winning all six of their Champions League group matches to top their table.
Slot’s appointment as successor to Jurgen Klopp was met with cautious optimism, with many expecting the Dutchman to need time to adapt.
Instead, he has defied expectations, quickly embedding his philosophy and making Liverpool the hot favourites for a second Premier League title.
In addition to their domestic and European exploits, the Reds are in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, where they will face Tottenham Hotspur over two legs.
Arne Slot contrasted his current festive schedule with his time in the Eredivisie, where a winter break allowed him to spend last Christmas in Dubai.
This year, however, the demands of English football mean no rest for the Liverpool boss.
After hosting Leicester City on Boxing Day evening, the Reds travel to West Ham on Sunday as part of their packed holiday fixture list.
“It is different,” Slot told Sky Sports.
“Yesterday there was a padel tournament that my brother organised and I knew from last season I was there and then went to Dubai for 10 days the day after.
“Now I am here I am not going to go to Dubai as I am going to manage a few Premier League games.”
He added: “Yeah. If I said no it would probably be strange as well.
“There are obvious reasons why we (my wife and I) kept the children and my wife in Holland as they are in the last year of their school.
“They have to do their exams so for us it was not the ideal moment to bring them towards England.
“But in the ideal world you are the manager of Liverpool and still have your family around you.”
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