19 Jan 2026 11:02:28
Thinking about the importance of Managers (or Head Coaches) and how much they influence their teams via their personality.
Slot's personality seems very much about control, regulating emotions, machine-like - regularly quotes stats (set pieces) but rarely discusses moods/ feelings in the camp.
If we do get Xabi, are we likely to see a bit more personality in our play to get the fans invested? Is he that type of leader?
God how I miss Jurgen….
19 Jan 2026 11:20:52
Spot on there. Slot seems quite disconnected when on the touchline and doesn't show emotion. Seems completely the wrong fit in this respect. JK the opposite. Always going to be difficult to follow and he isn't going to be able to change his personality. definitely need someone who shows some emotion and gets the players to when necessary play with emotion.
19 Jan 2026 11:50:37
No, Xabi is a rather cold and cerebral manager as well, and his players have also found him to be a bit aloof, he isn't all buddy buddy with the players like Jurgen was, but then again you're not going to find another coach in world football who was as concerned with those sorts of things as Jurgen was.
Liverpool football club has always been associated with emotion but it's not like we've had too many emotionally charged bosses in charge, we loved Rafa but he was one of the coldest coaches I have ever seen in my life, Houllier the same. Jurgen was singular in the sense that he felt like the Liverpool manager we had been waiting for all our lives as fans.
19 Jan 2026 12:21:30
Slot got a few yellows no?
19 Jan 2026 13:19:09
I agree with you PB. I guess that's why it did not work out for him at RM. They had a great man manager in Ancelotti who was close to his players. I think Alonso's personality was a shock to their collective system.
19 Jan 2026 13:40:02
Is Ancellotti a man manager or did he just accommodate to the RM players and let them do what they want?
19 Jan 2026 14:27:35
For me, a lot of it is about connection. Dalglish obviously gets it as he has lived through the best and worst times. I think Houllier got it, but he also had Thommo beside him who definitely got it. Benitez got it, and his wife and him completely bought into it.
Klopp completely got it, and again his family got it.
I just think that Slot thinks he gets it but doesn't. The fact that he hasn't moved his family over here and integrated to the city just shows that, or he doesn't care and isn't looking to be here very long.
19 Jan 2026 14:33:56
Drac if John Obi Mikel is to be believed, that's essentially what Carlo did (sometimes, for sure) at Chelsea and the players loved him for it.
Same at RM in both his tenures.