Pep Guardiola has admitted that Arne Slot’s arrival at Liverpool has forced him to abandon his ‘lazy’ ways and study his playing style.
Slot was confirmed as Jurgen Klopp’s replacement back in May and arrived from Feyenoord over the summer. The Dutchman has hit the ground running at Anfield, picking up three straight wins without conceding a goal in the Premier League.
Liverpool’s early-season form has raised hopes that they could challenge Manchester City and Arsenal for the title. Guardiola has lifted the last four trophies on offer in the top flight and wants to continue that streak in the 2024/25 campaign – and in order to do so he knows he needs to properly analyse what he’s up against.
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"When I play a new club in the Champions League that I don't know, I see much more than playing against Arsenal, for example. Of course I want to watch Arsenal a lot, but Mikel has been there four or five years,” Guardiola told .
"And before with Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool. Now I have to watch more Liverpool because of Arne. I don't know exactly what they do. But with Jurgen, we knew each other better.
"When I was younger, I watched much, much more than now. Now I'm lazier. I think I watch well enough to understand what the opponents want to do. I try to choose the right footage to show my players, to convince them of what to do to try and beat them."
Although Slot has implemented a slightly different playing style at Liverpool, his squad is very similar to the one Klopp left behind. Federico Chiesa is the only new face in the first-team squad after his £12.5million move from Juventus to provide competition for places on the wing.
The Italy international has now settled in during the international break and could make his debut for Liverpool when they play Nottingham Forest on Saturday. "Federico has trained with the team three or four times so let's see how he does today with the decision I make,” Slot said on Friday. “We have more than 20 players."
Liverpool first face City at Anfield on December 1 and Slot is relishing the chance to test himself against Guardiola’s all-conquering side. “I think for everyone who loves football it was a fantastic era to watch the both of them getting the best out of each other," he said in June.
"Liverpool came along and – like I just told you about the rivalry between City and Liverpool and the many games we as football fans saw – it wasn't a difficult choice to make."
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