Coach of Liverpool Arne Slot has received plaudits for the way his team have performed this season going into the final 16 games of the ongoing English Premier League, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Slot’s team are presently top of the table six points clear of second place Arsenal despite playing a game less. The way the team has performed under the Dutchman who was only appointed at the start of the season has been the major discussion for most of the season.
They were doubts about his credentials when he replaced Jurgen Klopp, but those doubts have quickly eroded. His abilities as a coach transcends beyond tactics, formation and methods, but also smart and efficient man management.
This was made known by Nigeria international striker Cyriel Dessers, who worked under the coach while at Feyenoord and detailed how a piece of advice from the 46 year old brought about a turnaround in his career.
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Dessers who stole the attention in the Scootish Cup with a hattrick yesterday in Rangers’s 5-0 win over Fraserburgh recalled: “When I was at Feyenoord, there was a match Arne Slot started with Bryan Linssen instead of me against Heerenveen.
“I was so disappointed. I came on ten minutes before the end. It was freezing cold, the match was already over, nobody really wanted to go forward. I came on with a really poor attitude because I was so disappointed that I wasn’t allowed to start.
“After the match, Slot sat next to me on the bus.
“I’ve had managers who got angry in such a situation. But he actually said in a very normal and calm way that he understood how I felt.
“He also explained why he had made his choice. I apologised, he said again that he could imagine my emotions.
“I walked back to the back of that bus and felt like it was out of my system.
“I still think back to that one conversation sometimes.
“There, Arne proved to me that he is not only a good manager, but also a good person.
“I sometimes miss that empathy in football with the media, with the fans too, who sometimes forget that a player is only human.
“The world of football is hard, sometimes unreasonable. So it’s worth its weight in gold if you have a manager who treats you normally, honestly and with understanding.”
Ade Emmanuel
