OLD TRAFFORD — There are some, rather obvious, similarities between Manchester United and Liverpool’s managers this season, but when it comes to how they approach their roles, it seems the follicly-challenged Dutchmen could not be more different.
Throughout pre-season, reporters were left staring at an empty notepad time and again as Arne Slot refused to show any sign of frustration over Liverpool’s lack of transfer summer transfer activity.
Undeterred, Slot would, calmly, insist he has inherited an incredible squad, one which he was relishing getting to grips with, and if the club get any signings over the line then great, but he is happy with his lot regardless.
Ten Hag, however, has been at pains to insist United’s woes last season were not down to the same, easy-to-read formation he was putting out every week, one with a softer centre than anything Krispy Kreme could conjure.
He needed injured players back, and reinforcements, lots of them – more former Ajax players to be precise – to be able to see out his United project.
Slot, on the other hand, has a track record of improving the output of the hand he is dealt, by working them into his intricate style of play, where short passes are king, allowing for fast breaks when space has been engineered.
Like Jurgen Klopp before him, Slot was out on the pitch 40 minutes before kick-off at Old Trafford, surveying the warm-up with a laser focus.
Unlike his predecessor, however, who loved to study the opposition, Slot was fixed only on his charges, such is his unwavering faith in his style and those administering it.
Luis Diaz, even three games into Slot’s reign, is proof of the level of work going on behind the scenes.
Last season, after returning from injury, Diaz slowly got back to his effervescent self, sending many a full-back into a spin and he sashayed his way down the left flank.
But his end product in some key moments in the campaign – a glaring miss against Manchester City at Anfield immediately springs to mind – deserted him, leading to some Liverpool fans calling for a replacement to be found in the summer window.
LUIS DIAZ AT THE FAR POST!
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 1, 2024
Liverpool take the lead against Manchester Unitedpic.twitter.com/LcsdCkgqsU
Three games and three goals, from eight shots, this season should give rivals serious cause for concern. The Colombian’s header for the opener at Old Trafford was as brave as it was precise, while his sweeping finish for the second that effectively ended the contest oozed confidence. This is a player who has quickly banished the demons of last season’s profligacy.
"Two Casemiro mistakes, two Diaz goals"
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 1, 2024
What a finish this ispic.twitter.com/lNaWEnBXUs
Ryan Gravenberch is another who has elevated his game to new levels in such a short space of time.
Liverpool were supposedly desperate to sign a No 6 in the transfer window, and Slot could easily have done his best Ten Hag and thrown his toys out of the pram after Martin Zubimendi turned down the Reds.
Instead, he has turned a player who operated very much on the periphery – mainly on Thursday nights in the Europa League – into a cross between Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
His touchmap on Sunday hammers home just how metronomic a midfield beast Slot has created, picking passes all over the pitch, winning possession on the high press, and in front of his back four.
In contrast, United unveiled Manuel Ugarte on the pitch ahead of kick-off. He better be good, given football continues to pass Casemiro by.
Slot is exactly what the doctor ordered. He is not a Klopp 2.0, in his tactics or his character. He has not gone about trying to replicate anything that made Klopp popular.
Upon the final whistle, after the most convincing victories over Liverpool’s arch rivals, becoming the first Reds boss since Bob Paisley to win his first contest with United, Slot simply applauded the away end and embraced his jubilant players, with not so much as a chest bump in sight.
This may not have been a 7-0, but psychologically, the damage is just the same. Ten Hag is into his third year of his United project, and yet we still don’t really know what Ten Hag-ball is.
Three games into Slot’s Liverpool vision coming to life, and things could not be looking any rosier.
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