Who is the architect of Liverpool's title?

In the joy of Liverpool officially being crowned champions after a 5-1 victory over Tottenham, coach Arne Slot paid deep tribute to his predecessor Jurgen Klopp. "All I can do now is express my gratitude to Jurgen," he said, then repeated the song that Klopp sang a year ago, at Anfield.

Last year, when Klopp decided to leave Liverpool after nearly nine years, those at Anfield feared the club would fall into a state of disorientation like Manchester United after Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsenal after Arsene Wenger. So CEO Michael Edwards went to Klopp's house to discuss the future.

One day in March 2024, at the German coach's private home on Victoria Road, 20km from Anfield, the two had a conversation about Liverpool's next path. In it, Edwards also revealed the negotiations with Arne Slot, who was chosen to become the next coach. And Klopp immediately exclaimed that this was a "wonderful decision".

Coach Arne Slot paid tribute to his predecessor Juergen Klopp on the night Liverpool won the championship.

During his final days at Anfield, Klopp did everything he could to make the transition a smooth one. He spoke to Slot on the phone several times, while his assistant, Pep Lijnders, also proactively shared information. On his farewell day, in front of a large crowd of fans, Klopp chanted "Arne Slot, la la la la la", calling on everyone to welcome and support the new coach as they had done for him.

According to the Telegraph, Klopp had intended to leave around 2022-23 if everything went well. However, that was a difficult period for Liverpool. They failed in the 2021/22 championship race and dropped to 5th in the 2022/23 season. At the top, rumors about FSG wanting to sell the club made the future uncertain, while the team was also unstable internally, with key players leaving and new players unable to develop their abilities.

So Klopp decided to stay a little longer to rebuild the team. He did not want to leave his predecessor a mess. That is why in his final season at Liverpool, the German strategist strongly changed the midfield.

Klopp has laid the perfect foundations and fostered a smooth transition.

Klopp initially targeted Dortmund's Jude Bellingham, who he wanted since 2022. However, Klopp's old team refused to sell because that same summer, they lost Erling Haaland.

So Liverpool had to wait. But then Real appeared and Klopp understood that he had to switch to another option. Instead of owning Bellingham, Liverpool spent up to 145 million pounds on 4 midfielders. That is Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Gravenberch and Wataru Endo.

In the 5-1 win over Tottenham to win the title, Szoboszlai assisted the first and fourth goals, while Gravenberch provided the pass for Mac Allister, who had a great game, to score the second. Endo only came on in the 76th minute, but had been an important contributor throughout the season.

Liverpool won the championship with the elements left by Klopp, including the staff with captain Virgil van Dijk, vice-captains Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Alisson, as well as the midfield bought in the summer of 2023.

When Slot took over, everything was almost ready. He only added Federico Chiesa to thicken the attack, and sold unnecessary players. Based on the foundation that Klopp had left, Slot tried to maximize the quality of the players. For example, he revived Ibrahima Konate, besides turning Gravenberch into an excellent number 6.

Under Slot, Liverpool have become more collective, with the midfield at the heart of the team, and then attack in a calmer, rather than rushed, manner. Slot’s Liverpool don’t score as many goals as Klopp’s, but they are more consistent, and they control the game better. They are also able to bounce back strongly from setbacks thanks to the drive and energy the Dutchman provides.

Slot was so astute and smart that he saw that there was no need to make a major overhaul, nor was there a need to rush to impose his personal stamp. Especially with the great foundation left by his predecessor and the perfect transition, it was best to consolidate and promote. He did, then stepped up to the top of glory.

Thanh Hai

Source: https://tienphong.vn/ai-la-kien-truc-su-cho-chuc-vo-dich-cua-liverpool-post1737910.tpo