Jan Everse pulls out his phone and starts scrolling. He wants to find a video he sent to his protege at the start of what became a momentous journey.
Everse is a wily football man, who was once in Johan Cruyff’s inner circle. He holds the rare distinction of having played for both Feyenoord and Ajax, but, as he does often during this conversation, he starts chuckling.
‘I’ve called him to tell him you are coming,’ he reveals, eyes twinkling. ‘I said to him, “Hey, don’t worry, I will tell lies and say only nice things about you!” Hang on… it is here.’
A video begins to play, full of great goals and striking images of jubilant fans. It is the one he sent to Arne Slot in May 2021 to show what could be possible in Rotterdam – and what he believed he could achieve with his talent.
‘He made Feyenoord champions; he took them to a European final,’ says Everse. ‘He gave them confidence. I like it. People are crazy about him. You can only be cheered like this if you are a fantastic coach. That is what he is. He was a god in Feyenoord. It will be the same in Liverpool.’
Everse, a sprightly 71-year-old, hasn’t yet been to Merseyside to see Slot, who entered his orbit as an over-confident 17-year-old, but has watched every step of this remarkable first year in England and knows the scale of what is about to be achieved. None of it comes as a surprise.
Liverpool has steered Liverpool to the brink of winning the Premier League title
Slot also achieved success at Feyenoord, winning the league and reaching a European final
Jan Everse, right, says Slot would be No 1 on his list of managers – ahead of Pep Guardiola
‘Someone asked me, “How many titles did Jurgen Klopp win for Liverpool in 10 years?” says Everse. ‘He won one league and one Champions League – very good. He had a very good team.
‘But people looked at me like an idiot because I said, “I think Arne is a better coach than Klopp”. His vision of football is better. He hasn’t won the Champions League – yet – but if I owned a top team, he would be No 1 on my list, even ahead of Pep Guardiola.’
It’s quite a statement, delivered with passion, but Everse makes it with authority. He, after all, pointed Slot on his path to stardom when they crossed paths at FC Zwolle in 1995 and the stories he tells are refreshingly candid.
This is genuine insight, explaining the knocks Slot suffered and the lessons he learnt to fulfil his potential. Everse, it’s easy to see, hasn’t suffered fools through his own career – he’s managed 16 clubs across the Netherlands since starting in 1980 – but Slot was never a fool.
‘He was so convinced about himself,’ Everse says with a smile that is almost paternal. ‘I liked him as a player – two-footed, technically very good. Good vision. But a bit lazy, not quick. People were complaining about him not doing the work. When the pitch was very muddy, his kit was always the cleanest and could be put straight away in the closet!
‘So I told him, “You must change your idea about how you play”. It took 18 months. He was a bit lazy, a bit stubborn. Then he changed his mindset. Ah! Then he was always practice, practice, practice. If he played against you, he’d work harder and run faster than you.
‘He told a mutual friend I changed his vision of football. He said I made him see the game as he hadn’t seen it before. I think he still uses a lot of exercises that I did with him.
‘Then you would see him in the gym, weight-lifting. He was a boy. But I saw the change. So, one day, I said to him, “Arne, tomorrow you will be in my line-up. If you play like I think you are going to play, you will be in the line-up for the next few years”. And he was.’
His former manager has watched every step of this remarkable first year in England
Liverpool need just a point to win the league when they face Tottenham on Sunday
They have impressed with their relentless energy and expansive patterns of play
Slot went on to have a fine playing career, moving from Zwolle to NAC Breda and Sparta Rotterdam before finishing back in Zwolle, the place his family call home. Everse saw a coach in the making.
‘He saw why he wasn’t playing and he changed,’ says Everse. ‘Now, you see his players are fit. He knows this because of his own history. To play well, you must be fit. If you only get the ball 30 times in a game, you have to be very good to make a difference. If you have the ball 100 times, you will make the difference. But that’s only possible when you are physically fit. And he understands that.’
It explains why Liverpool have impressed as much with their relentless energy as they have with expansive patterns of play.
‘Liverpool play differently from Feyenoord,’ Everse says. ‘At Feyenoord, he pressed for 90 minutes. Liverpool sometimes press, sometimes defend. They are at their best when they counter- attack. It’s the style of Klopp – use the space the opponent gives you. It was fantastic to see.
‘But Arne likes to play pressing in the field of the opponent. He wants to play 90 minutes in the opponent’s half. It’s not possible yet but he has thought about what to do to make Liverpool succeed. It is unbelievable that with four games to go, they will win the title. I sent him a message on April 28 last year: “Arne – congratulations on becoming coach of Liverpool. You deserve it”.’
If Liverpool take the point they need from Tottenham, who tried to take Slot from Feyenoord two years ago, he will be able to send almost the same message. The only addition he will have to make is adding one seismic word: champion.
