Arne Slot takes over from Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.In his native Holland, he has had stints at SC Cambourg-Lewalden, AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord, where he also won the Eredivisie title.
The challenge of the Premier League is a much heavier responsibility than his previous experience, and the pressure will be immense when he takes charge of Liverpool.
Even though there are already three Dutchmen in the squad, it is normal to want to bring in players from familiar teams and from the local area.
Former Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder, who played for Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Ajax during his playing career, advises against having too many players from his home country in the team, as it is not good for communication.
“I would be careful with bringing in too many Dutch players. I experienced that at Madrid,”
“When I arrived, only Ruud van Nistelrooy, Royston Drenthe and Arjen Robben were there. And the following year, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Rafael van der Vaart joined too.”
“If the four of us play football somewhere, we’re not going to talk Spanish to each other,”
Veronica Offside
Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch all speak English well and do not seem to be that hardened. van Dijk is the captain and is in a position to converse with many of the players, while Gakpo is also good friends with Curtis Jones and others.
If any more Dutch players join the group, they will not be as grouped as the Spanish, but it will be interesting to see the squad for next season.