Scotland legend Ally McCoist believes succeeding Jurgen Klopp is not an “impossible task” for new Liverpool head coach Arne Slot
Ally McCoist claimed that succeeding Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp is not impossible for Arne Slot despite the Dutch coach’s poor record. McCoist pointed out Louis van Gaal’s failure at Manchester United as well as Erik ten Hag’s struggle at the club.
Man United struggled with continuity since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club and retired in 2013, succeeded by David Moyes. The structure and lack of attention towards their assets alongside poor culture and philosophy caused them to fail consistently.
Van Gaal holds a successful resume despite his failure and United and even well-established names like Jose Mourinho failed there. The persistent problem has continued as Ten Hag faces tremendous pressure due to his failures of the last season.
United have spent a lot of money in the transfer market without any strong strategy or unity in decisions. The well-documented structure acts as a barrier to communication between upper management and managers.
On the other hand, Liverpool have established a culture and philosophy under the tenure of their beloved manager, Klopp. Slot is inheriting a formidable squad from the German and complete backing of the restructured hierarchy with clear individual responsibilities.
Furthermore, unlike Ten Hag, Slot has earned a reputation for being a strong communicator and manager. Ten Hag also shunned the tactical philosophy that earned him the United job, highlighting the individualistic problem. Head coaches should stand by their philosophy regardless of the challenges, detaching themselves from their philosophy is a failure in itself.
McCoist told Express Sport on behalf of talkSPORT BET that managerial changes always carry a risk. He said:
“Louis van Gaal didn’t work out, and there are question marks over Ten Hag at United. [But] I don’t think there’s an element of risk because of the track record of Dutch coaches [in the Premier League]. I think there’s an element of risk anywhere, no matter where you go. I think it’s a tough one for Liverpool.”
The former Scottish footballer further stated that Slot succeeding Klopp is not as bad as succeeding Ferguson. He added:
“I’ll be brutally honest, it’s a similar situation to when Sir Alex [Ferguson] left Man United. I don’t think it’s the same situation for a number of reasons. In many ways, Sir Alex was impossible to follow. I wouldn’t say Jurgen Klopp is impossible to follow, although he has done a fantastic job rejuvenating the club with their first league win in 30-odd years and the Champions League. So I don’t think it’s as hard an act [to follow]. Plus, some of the youngsters who Klopp has introduced into the side and given experience to will certainly serve them well for the years ahead. That said, [Arne Slot] is a very well-respected coach and very well-thought-of, and everyone speaks highly of him.”
We cannot use Van Gaal and Ten Hag’s tenures in the Premier League as examples to analyze Dutch coaches. The step from Eredivisie to the Premier League is a big one for any manager to take. However, the success of a manager also lies in the compatibility and the strength of the structure at the club.
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Liverpool have a strong structure and philosophy in place for Slot to apply his skills to the maximum and succeed. Furthermore, the fans would love for the manager to hit the ground running but everyone has the patience and trust in the club’s choice.
