What happened behind the scenes to change Liverpool as insiders reveal Arne Slot methods

What happened behind the scenes to change Liverpool as insiders reveal Arne Slot methods

Trent Alexander-Arnold has spoken at length at how Liverpool head coach Arne Slot is overseeing change on the training pitch

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot instructs Trent Alexander-Arnold the Premier League match against Nottingham Forest at Anfield on September 14 2024 (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images )

Arne Slot will hit a bump in the road at some point. For now, though, almost every call the new Liverpool head coach makes is proving the correct one.

From team selection, formation, rotation, new player roles, in-game tactical tweaks and substitutions, Slot has done much to silence those who questioned his appointment when following in the sizeable footsteps of predecessor Jurgen Klopp in the summer.

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With 15 wins from 17 games in all competitions, no new Liverpool boss has enjoyed a more successful start to their reign while never before has a manager arrived in English football and won as many games in such a short period of time.

Given, with the exception of the thus far rarely-spotted summer signing Federico Chiesa, Slot is essentially working with the same squad he inherited from Klopp at the end of last season, the changes have largely been implemented on the training pitch.

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Certainly, the differences at the AXA Training Centre extended beyond the cosmetic alterations during the close season, such as the newly-installed coffee station that has become a popular hub for first-team players and staff members.

And Trent Alexander-Arnold has explained how the new boss has brought a bit of his homeland to Kirkby in an attempt to continue evolving the Liverpool team.

"Training's more intense, if anything," says Alexander-Arnold. "We're working in smaller spaces and I'd say it's a very Dutch way of playing, focused on ball mastery.

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"For instance, you tend to play to the back foot every time. And if it doesn't go to the back foot then the session stops and you're asked 'Why are you passing it to that foot when it should be his back foot?'. It is that detailed.

"The manager's a perfectionist and so as players you have to be too. We all agree that perfection doesn't exist, but we want to be as close to perfection as possible. That's what we strive for."

Such attention to the minutiae is a common theme for Slot, aided by first assistant coach Spike Hulshoff and assistant John Heitinga. While the Reds boss recently explained much of his pre-match focus is on how Liverpool can hurt the opposition, Alexander-Arnold reveals that doesn't come at the expense of overlooking the potential dangers faced.

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"Everything is very in-depth, very detailed," adds the right-back, speaking to Swedish television channel Viaplay. "He will really analyse the opposition and tell us where the weaknesses are and what their frailties are and then encourage us to go out there and try and punish them.

"We know our strengths and qualities and he tries to get the players who can impact the games into positions to have that influence. We have a lot of meetings to discuss details. Our foundation is that we know how we want to play - we want to control the game with the ball. Defensively, we know what we need to do and that's why we've conceded so few goals so far.

"Then within that there's chops and changes and different ways of working it around but we all understand our roles and, going into a game, he will talk us through them. We all know the foundations so it's not like it's something brand new every single week, maybe just minor changes to one of two players' positions."

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Slot himself has provided his own insight into certain aspects of the sessions. "We have 10 or 15 or maybe more certain exercises, but we sometimes tweak it a bit," he says, speaking to former Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld to LFC TV. "But the idea behind most exercises is quite similar. But if I see there are certain exercises (they) the players like, I'm not going to do them every day because that doesn't help.

"But those exercises where I feel 'Oh, I only have to do this and they will (enjoy it)', then I'll wait for the moment that they are really tired. Two things are really important: if you want to think I've been successful at AZ and Feyenoord and now at Liverpool, if that is true than the reason behind that is not all about tactics boards. It's about energy, you're working really hard to improve, and that they want to come in and they like what they are doing.

"My job and our job as a staff is to create fun while they are learning. I want to create a cultural atmosphere where players like to be at this training ground. So many people write about tactics, so it's not that difficult to understand tactics or good training ideas. But it's all about 'How do I bring this to the players? How do I get them full of energy on a daily basis?'. It's a constant thought of 'What am I going to say tomorrow to get them going again?'."

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Alexander-Arnold is absent from the latest England get-together having been forced to withdraw with the hamstring problem that saw him depart early from Liverpool's 2-0 home Premier League win against Aston Villa last weekend.

The 26-year-old suffered a low grade hamstring injury and continues to undergo treatment. While he hasn't been ruled out of the trip to Southampton next Sunday, the defender is facing a race against time to prove his fitness for the Anfield clashes against Real Madrid and Manchester City that then follow in the Champions League and Premier League respectively.

Alexander-Arnold has previously revealed the manner in which Slot is helping his own game. And he has now spoken about the growing understanding between the pair.

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"I was excited about the new manager coming in," he says. "I spoke to him before I met him and they were really good calls. We are two people who absolutely adore football so we just talked tactics and discussed different teams' tactics and how things work.

"We've got a good bond and he's someone who helps me and teaches me. He's harsh on me too, which I like, and he's someone who's helping me address the frailties in my game and showing me what I need to improve."

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