Liverpool are all ready for the new Premier League season as Arne Slot puts the finishing touches to his team.
Slot has been working with the Reds squad for the past month and a half as he prepares to make his debut in English football.
The whole summer has been building towards 12.30pm on Saturday, as Liverpool head to Portman Road to take on newly promoted Ipswich Town.
Ipswich will be a test for Liverpool, but in reality the quality within the Reds’ squad should tell. Anything but a win would be a disappointment for Slot.
And as the new head coach gears up to make his bow, legendary centre-back Jamie Carragher has offered a word of warning.
Jamie Carragher offers Arne Slot warning
If Slot was not necessarily overly aware of Carragher before taking the Liverpool job, then he’s certainly about to be.
The Liverpool legend has become one of the most recognisable and visible pundits since retiring from playing in 2013.
Jurgen Klopp had one or two notable exchanges with Carragher during his time at Anfield and not all of them were completely cordial.
As we wait for Slot’s first interaction with the 46-year-old, Carra has given him a key tip in order for him to be a success following Klopp.
READ MORE: Jamie Carragher says Liverpool have a player who is totally the ‘opposite’ of what Arne Slot wants
“Be yourself. Do not try and be Jurgen Klopp in the press conferences. Be yourself,” the Scouser told The Overlap.
Expanding on that, Carragher urged Slot to totally ignore the man who came before him on Merseyside.
“I just think don’t try and copy anything of Klopp, even if that might be the way the team plays,” he says. “Just come with your vision and ideas.
“Be yourself. Because nothing is better than the original. Nobody is going to be a better version of Jurgen Klopp, so be Mr Slot.”
So far so good for Arne Slot
This would have been a worry for a lot of Liverpool fans ahead of Slot taking charge of the team.
As Carragher says, no one can be Klopp, so a ‘Jurgen-lite’ type of manager would not really have washed with the fanbase.
But to Slot’s immense credit, he has looked from day one like he hasn’t needed Carragher’s advice at all. Right from the off, the Dutchman has very much been himself.
Obviously, Slot has been asked plenty of times already about his storied predecessor. He is one of the greatest figures in Liverpool history after all.
But Arne has taken it all in his stride, not made any grand, performative statements, paid his respects and started to put his own imprint on the team. We’ve been impressed so far, but now it’s time for the real business to begin.
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