For Liverpool supporters, Cody Gakpo’s admission that playing against Arne Slot’s side back in the Netherlands was “extremely difficult” is encouraging.

The 45-year-old Slot took over as manager of Liverpool on Saturday, officially taking over from Jurgen Klopp and guiding the team into a new era. The Dutchman, who faced Gakpo when playing for PSV Eindhoven, previously managed Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie.

Similar to Klopp’s Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund teams, Slot’s teams were known for playing direct football and pressing hard. In the 2022–2023 season, Slot’s Feyenoord team won the title. In an interview with the Dutch daily De Telegraaf, Gakpo made the same analogy and expressed nothing but admiration for his new employer.

“I’ve never talked to him before. “[But] I am aware that he has consistently presented a challenging environment for us at PSV and is regarded as an excellent trainer, naturally,” the Netherlands international, who will play for both his and Slot’s nation in 2024, clarified.

Gakpo said, “I think so, otherwise the club wouldn’t have appointed him,” in response to the question of whether Slot’s style would be transferable to Liverpool. We are definitely accustomed to playing crisp football and under pressure, the latter of which has been a major trait of ours under Jurgen Klopp.”

Sander Westerveld, the former goalkeeper for Liverpool, wholeheartedly concurs with Gakpo, saying that Slot is the “perfect fit.” Westerveld, who played for the Reds from 1999 to 2001, told LFCTV, “Over the years people talk about Arne in Holland and they always compare him with Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.”

“When he was doing game analysis and training sessions, he would always play clips from Liverpool. He was playing video of Liverpool players. He is playing in a comparable manner. What he looks for in a team and how he plays have been extensively chronicled.

“But aside from that, he’s a really good man. He always has a good sense of humor, which is crucial because it maintains a certain level of equilibrium among the team or group. Concentrate, work hard in the gym, and laugh when you can. Relax in some situations, but don’t lose sight of the goal of winning games.

“It’s easy to motivate the first XI but if you talk about the players that are on the bench, 12 to 25, they’re all happy with him as well in all the clubs he’s trained, so that’s really important and says enough as well.”