Is Klopp a bad habit Liverpool can't kick, and is it by design?

It might sound ridiculous now, but there existed a time, at least in England, when the passing game was scoffed at as something frivolous, too indulgent. The constant tennis of “dogma vs pragmatism” centering around Big Ange seems to be a carbon copy of the discussions sparked by Pep Guardiola’s arrival at Manchester, and Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal, especially in the face of the anti-football demigod in Jose Mourinho.

These days, the winds blow differently. The glint of a rare European trophy and two domestic ones failed to fool West Ham and Manchester United supporters respectively, who both clamoured for a coach who can make their teams play “good football”. A similar French revolution can be said to have occurred at Crystal Palace (for at least the first half of this year), Juventus, Dortmund, and finally, Liverpool.

Wait, Liverpool? But they had Jürgen Klopp, didn’t they? The frenetic German manager, despite the fact that he shattered a three-decade long curse while sharing a league with Guardiola’s Cityzens, has been receiving curious glances from some people, the very same eyes which were once filled with utter submission and devotion. “Control” has become a hip word to use whenever Liverpool are brought up. Some have compared Slot’s sides as a band of “peacekeepers”, some likening them to dating a corporate lawyer after ditching your rockstar boyfriend. Most importantly, Slot’s men are flying high in two leagues, which does reflect rather funnily when compared to Klopp’s quadruple-Jenga collapsing this April.

What’s even funnier is the (dreaded?) return of the “second half FC” rhetoric; Liverpool get nearly outplayed in the first 45, their high-press acting as a sieve for the opposition, only for halftime to que the Reds to “switching on” in bursts and leaving the other team dazed and confused. Is it another “pro” in the Slot column, his success in evolving, not revolutionizing the team? Or is it Klopp’s undying shadow leaving too much of a permanent mark on the squad?

Perhaps the new Liverpool regime, helmed by a returning Michael Edwards and the up-and-coming Richard Hughes, saw all of this coming. According to reports, Klopp had already informed the big wigs of his forthcoming exit in November last year, before revealing the same to the public come the turn of the year. Names like Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann, and even Thomas Tuchel were thrown in the mixer. Could Arne Slot, with only success in the Netherlands decorating his resume, stand toe-to-toe with that trio? What he can boast, though, is a peculiar marriage of a slow, methodical buildup, and an “all systems go” phase in attack. The former lures the opposition in a high press, with the latter exploiting the space left in behind. 

Andrew Beasly, a data analyst focusing mostly on Liverpool, highlighted that if all teams from the Big Five European leagues (England, Germany, Italy, Spain & France) were placed in a single “league” table, the 23/24 Liverpool side would sit at the bottom in terms of take-ons conceded. The Athletic’s Mark Carey observed that this season, the Reds have tightened up their rest defence, sitting more compactly to avoid getting torn to pieces from counter-attacks. At the same time, Liverpool continue to reap the rewards when it's their turn to go direct, as seen in both of their goals against Aston Villa. 

During their pre-season tour of the United States, several Liverpool players were quizzed on the immediate differences between the departed Klopp and the new boss. Harvey Elliot waxed poetic about a more “elegant Dutch style”, while Curtis Jones stoked early fires from the Liverpool fanbase after revealing that he felt more comfortable and “himself” with Slot. Perhaps, this wasn’t an exercise in assassinating Klopp’s heavy-metal, with the hitman’s calling card bearing Guardiola’s signature. This feels derived more from science-fiction; when the natural body fails you, you take the best pieces and weld them with cold, hard, pragmatic metal. Control and chaos, hand-in-hand.