Jurgen Klopp's Beautiful Assist, Arne Slot's Perfect Finish

Before deciding to end his career at Anfield at the end of the 2024 season, Jurgen Klopp undertook one of the most important tasks after nine years as Liverpool's manager. He initiated a rejuvenation project, particularly in the midfield of "The Reds," which has begun to age.

As the final season approaches, all senior midfielders of Liverpool are allowed to leave. They are Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, two players who contributed to the titles of the Premier League and the Champions League.

A year earlier, Georginio Wijnaldum had also left Anfield first for Paris Saint-Germain. Fabinho and Henderson were sold to a Saudi Arabian club.

As a replacement for the departure of several midfield players, Klopp brought in four midfielders in one season, namely Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, and Wataru Endo.

Endo is the third or perhaps the fourth choice. The actual targets were the defensive midfielder from Brighton, Moisés Caicedo, and Romeo Lavia from Southampton. However, although Brighton and Southampton agreed to sell to Liverpool, both players preferred to leave for London, England, to join Chelsea.

Failing to secure his primary target, Klopp sought alternative players, leading to the acquisition of the captain of the Japanese national team, Endo, who plays for VfB Stuttgart.

The new players immediately integrated with the existing players. They are key players in other positions who have been retained, including Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and goalkeeper Alisson Becker.

The 2023/2024 season started off perfectly. Liverpool briefly managed to lead the standings. New players, Szoboszlai, Mac Alister, and Endo, became key pillars, while Gravenberch did not receive many opportunities to showcase his abilities.

At a time when Liverpool's performance was at its peak, a very surprising announcement emerged. On January 26, 2024, Klopp announced that the season would be his last managing Liverpool. He will leave the managerial position at Anfield at the end of the season.

Not only Liverpool supporters were shaken, but the global football community was also surprised. "My energy source is not limitless," said Klopp in an interview accompanying his announcement, as quoted from the club's website.

As the season drew to a close, Liverpool's performance declined, resulting in their position at the top of the standings being overtaken by Manchester City, who subsequently became champions, and later by Arsenal. Liverpool ultimately failed to secure the English Premier League trophy in Klopp's final season, finishing in third place.

Following Klopp's announcement, the search for a new coach began. Various speculations arose regarding who would be suitable to replace the German coach. The search is led by Liverpool's Director of Football, Richard Hughes.

It is not easy to replace Klopp, who has become a legendary figure for the Anfield public. Several names have emerged, ranging from coaches with established reputations to young coaches who are beginning to shine.

Liverpool is reported to be interested in their former player, Xabi Alonso, who had just successfully led Bayer Leverkusen to win the Bundesliga with an unbeaten record. However, Alonso, a former midfielder for Liverpool during Rafael Benitez's management, declined the offer.

In addition, Liverpool is also reported to be approaching Sporting CP coach Ruben Amorim. However, they do not align with the coaching philosophy of the Portuguese coach. Amorim, who relies on a 3-5-2 formation and its variations, is considered incompatible with the character of the players left by Klopp at Liverpool.

Liverpool's management believes that it would be too costly to overhaul the existing squad and acquire new players that align with Amorim's philosophy. The 40-year-old coach then joined Manchester United, replacing Erik ten Hag, who was dismissed in the middle of this season.

Liverpool also chose Slot to fill the coaching seat left by Klopp. Slot denied that he was only the third choice. "Journalists in the Netherlands wrongly wrote that I was one of three or four candidates. However, from the beginning, it was clear that it was only me. I told my agent, if I am one of three candidates, I am not interested. I am only interested if it is only me," said Slot as quoted by The Guardian.

Although bringing his own coaching staff, Slot continues what Klopp left behind. Slot inherits the squad formed by Klopp, along with their culture of hard work and togetherness.

He must maximize the players inherited from Klopp because Liverpool did not bring in many players during the transfer window. Only Federico Chiesa was acquired, and even then, he is not in good condition. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili was immediately loaned to Valencia after being purchased.

The Dutch coach brought a new philosophy or approach to the game. If Klopp mostly applies the 4-3-3 scheme with gegenpressing, Slot is different. The former Feyenoord coach uses the 4-2-3-1 scheme. Slot's Liverpool game is not as attractive as Klopp's heavy metal style, but it is more controlled and very effective.

Slot is able to maximize Klopp's legacy squad despite many observers, including Liverpool supporters themselves, questioning it. When he failed to secure his target player, Martin Zubimendi, to fill the defensive midfielder position, Slot found a solution in the figure of Gravenberch.

He successfully transformed the young player who initially played more as a box-to-box midfielder into a strong defensive midfielder. Gravenberch who in his first season was mostly on the bench, this season became a key player. Together with Mac Alister, Szoboszlai, and academy graduate Curtis Jones, they dominated the Premier League.

To optimize the attacking role of Mohamed Salah, Slot has reduced Salah's defensive duties. As acknowledged by the Egyptian forward, this has made him more effective, as evidenced by his contributions of 28 goals and 18 assists. Salah leads the list of top scorers in the Premier League this season.

Without expensive player acquisitions, by merely optimizing the squad inherited from Klopp, Slot has proven his golden touch. Slot led Liverpool to become champions of the English League in his first season.

Si Merah secured the championship with four matches remaining in the league, following a 5-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on April 27, 2025. The Premier League trophy was lifted by captain Van Dijk after the final match against Crystal Palace at Anfield Stadium on Sunday (25/5/2025), which was attended by Klopp.

What a lovely assist from Klopp, a perfect finish by Slot.