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6 months ago
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Arne Slot was reportedly once branded an 'idiot' by his critics for his bizarre kick-off routine that would see the incoming Liverpool boss lash the ball high into the sky from a restart.
It appears, though, that there was a method to his madness, with Slot, who enjoyed several spells for Dutch side PEC Zwolle during his playing career, seemingly catching opposition players off guard.
On Monday, the Merseyside outfit confirmed that the Dutchman would succeed Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool's next permanent manager after the German had announced he would be leaving the club at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.
The news had all but been confirmed by the Reds, with Klopp leading the chants for the incoming manager, Slot, as he addressed the Anfield crowd following his final game in charge, a 2-0 victory against Wolves. Meanwhile, the departing Feyenoord manager had also seemingly confirmed his appointment prior to Liverpool's announcement, and was seen singing Liverpool's anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone' at a leaving party over the weekend.
Slot has experienced success both as a player and as a manager, notably guiding Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title last year, before clinching the Dutch Cup this season. As a player, he helped Zwolle clinch promotion to the Dutch top-flight, after his side were crowned champions of the second tier in 2012 and 2002.
Incoming Liverpool manager Arne Slot was once branded an 'idiot' for his bizarre kick-off routine
The ex-EC Zwolle midfielder would belt the ball high into the air immediately after restarts
He'd go on to make 176 appearances for the Blauwvingers across his career but was well known for his rather bizarre tactic of booting the ball high into the sky from a restart.
A video has emerged online of the new Liverpool manager performing the interesting routine, chipping the ball into the air before thumping it high into the sky from a restart.
It left some fans online scratching their heads as to why, with Gerald van den Belt, the financial director of Cambuur, telling The Telegraph, that Slot had been blasted by television pundits for the kick-off routine.
'"What an idiot," his critics laughed,' Van den Belt said to the outlet.
Despite that, Van den Belt, who reportedly gave slot his first shot at management, added that the tactic was a ploy used by the Dutch midfielder to catch opposition players off guard, by forcing them to look up into the sun from kick-off.
'And yet that year, Zwolle scored seven times within the first 30 seconds,' he added.
As a player, Slot possessed an excellent technical ability and played mostly as a No 10. As well as his time at Zwolle, he also enjoyed spells at NAC Breda and Sparta Rotterdam, before hanging up his boots in 2013.
He had received some criticism from the move, but it appears he had the last laugh
His Zwolle side would reportedly score within the first 30 seconds of seven different matches
Slot would use the tactic as a ploy to force opposition players to look up into the sun following a restart
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) hoped that they'd see Liverpool deploy the tactic next season
Fans meanwhile, have been reacting to the video online, with several looking forward to watching Liverpool's players deploy the tactic next season.
One wrote on X (formerly Twitter): 'Seriously looking forward to [Virgil] Van Dijk skying it from kick off against Bournemouth, Fulham and Ipswich next season.'
Another added: 'Route one, I'm in.' Meanwhile, another added: 'Can we please do this at least once.'
'Can't wait for Trent [Alexander-Arnold] to do this,' another said.
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