Arne Slot has revealed that, despite his successes at Liverpool, one of his toughest critics remains his own father, Arend Slot. Arend has been a significant influence on Arne’s career, both as a mentor and a source of guidance. He is still very much involved in their hometown club, Bergentheim, where Arne began his footballing journey. Despite being a fan of Liverpool, Arend’s critical eye hasn’t softened over the years, and Arne often feels the weight of his father’s high expectations.
In a recent interview, Arne admitted that there haven’t been many matches where his father has praised his work. “There have definitely not been many games where he has said, ‘Oh, I like what I saw,’” Arne said. He added that his father’s critical nature stretches back to his playing days at FC Zwolle, NAC Breda, and Sparta Rotterdam. “The funny thing is he was always quite critical when I was playing, so when my son is playing, I am like: ‘Oh well done, well done.’ Maybe my son will go to being critical again,” he joked.
Arne went on to share a conversation he had with his father after Liverpool’s 2-1 win against Lille in the Europa League. Arend had expressed that the match wasn’t as thrilling as other Liverpool performances. Arne tried to explain the importance of playing smart, particularly when facing teams with a low defensive block. “You can easily lose these games if you try to force all kinds of difficult balls,” Arne said. He referred to certain risky passes as “stupid balls”—a term his father would love to see more of in their play.
However, it’s not all criticism. Arend did enjoy Liverpool’s dominant 6-3 win over Tottenham and the 5-0 victory against West Ham last month. “He likes the games where we have a comfortable lead early on because he’s always a bit nervous. Almost every game for us is tight,” Arne explained. Reflecting on his father’s football journey, Arne noted that the games against Manchester City and Real Madrid stand out as the most special moments for Arend, especially since he attended those matches in the stadium with Arne’s mother.
Arend follows every piece of news about Liverpool and is dedicated to his routine of watching the games. He also serves as an ambassador for his local amateur club, which plays an hour before Liverpool’s matches. He attends their games, then rushes home to watch Liverpool play. “He’s following everything, like most dads do,” Arne said with a sense of pride.
Regarding team news, Arne confirmed that Curtis Jones will miss Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Ipswich due to the injury he sustained during the Lille match. However, there’s hope Jones could return for the upcoming matches against PSV Eindhoven or Bournemouth.
