Arne Slot reveals his winning Liverpool philosophy is inspired by Jurgen Klopp’s greatest rival

By: Muhammad Saeed on October 02, 2024 / comment : 0 HITC, news

Arne Slot has had an impressive start to his tenure at Liverpool, with The Reds sitting top of the Premier League table.

A shock defeat at Anfield to Nottingham Forest is the only blemish on Slot’s Liverpool record so far, which includes an impressive Champions League victory against AC Milan.

Liverpool also travelled to Old Trafford to demolish Manchester United, with the Dutch manager showing no signs of faltering under the pressure of replacing Jurgen Klopp.

Many expected Slot to struggle in his first season in English football, especially after an underwhelming summer transfer window. Liverpool failed in their pursuit of Martin Zubimendi, with Federico Chiesa’s arrival at Anfield from Juventus being the only signing.

Slot has excelled in his new job despite all of these potential pitfalls. This has led to many suggesting that he has rightly continued where Klopp left off. However, the Dutchman has revealed that his football philosophy is actually inspired by one of Klopp’s great managerial rivals.

Arne Slot reveals his admiration for Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona

In an interview with UEFA.com, Slot explained that his managerial philosophy was developed during his playing career when Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona team dominated European football.

He said: “I was not so fast, some people called me slow, and that helped me maybe a bit with game insight. Individually, I couldn’t go around three players. I always needed my team-mates where I could play them my passes.

“I was lucky enough that then the Barcelona team started playing, and I saw similar patterns, not in terms of how we play it, but more: OK, this ball which we sometimes play – and Barcelona constantly plays – leads to success. And that’s helped me create my own philosophy about football.”

The tiki-taka style of Guardiola’s Barcelona continues to influence football around the world to this day. Teams at all levels attempt to play the ball out from the back to replicate the highly successful philosophy that has influenced Slot.

For Liverpool fans, though, it may sting that their new coach was inspired by the manager who prevented Klopp from winning even more at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola’s storied managerial rivalry

Klopp delivered Liverpool their first league title in 30 years in 2019/20, but if it wasn’t for Guardiola’s Manchester City, it could’ve been much more.

In the season before this league triumph, Liverpool amassed 97 points, which would’ve been enough to win the title in every season since 2019/20. However, Guardiola’s side pipped Klopp to the title by a single point.

The same story played out in the 2021/22 season when Klopp’s side finished with 92 points, only topped by Guardiola’s City, who came from two goals down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 and win the title once again.

Klopp is a legend at Liverpool for his achievements at the club, but his trophy cabinet would look even more impressive if not for Guardiola and City. It remains to be seen whether Slot’s admiration of Guardiola will see him topple Liverpool’s great modern-day rival.

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Jamie Carragher slams Manchester United’s ‘awful’ defence against Tottenham, with one star ‘completely out of position’

By: Muhammad Saeed on October 02, 2024 / comment : 0 HITC, news

Manchester United were humbled once again in the Premier League on Sunday, losing 0-3 to Tottenham at Old Trafford.

United fans watched on in horror as Brennan Johnson gave Spurs an early lead, with second-half goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke completing a miserable afternoon for the Red Devils.

Sunday’s defeat was United’s third in the league this season, leaving the club languishing in 13th place in the table.

This start has piled even more pressure on Erik ten Hag, with the Dutchman’s future once again on the minds of Sir Jim Radcliffe and INEOS.

However, performances on the pitch are more immediately concerning, given the money spent on the squad this summer.

Ten Hag oversaw a sizeable investment into his defence in the summer transfer window, signing Noussair Mazraoui and young starlet Leny Yoro.

Midfield anchor Manuel Ugarte also joined United from PSG to sure up the defence, but consecutive 3-0 home league defeats have raised questions about the success of this transfer spree.

One signing in particular, though, has garnered the most scrutiny, with Premier League legend Jamie Carragher delivering a damning verdict of his performance against Tottenham.

Jamie Carragher slams ‘out of position’ Mattijs de Ligt after defeat against Tottenham

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Carragher was far from impressed with Mattijs de Ligt’s performance against Tottenham.

Carragher said: “Their [Manchester United’s] rest defence is awful, it always has been behind the ball when they lose possession.

“In that first half, de Ligt, a player they’ve brought in for huge money, is completely out of position the whole time. So he ends up having to go flying into challenges and into situations where he could get a yellow card or a red.”

Spurs’ opener came from a remarkable run from de Ligt’s Dutch teammate Micky van de Ven, but this could’ve been prevented if de Ligt had covered the available space.

His questionable positioning also led to big chances for Johnson and Timo Werner, with only poor finishing sparing the United defender’s blushes.

Clearly, de Ligt must improve in the areas that Carragher has highlighted. However, his individual stats should give some reassurance to ten Hag and the United fans.

Matthijs de Ligt’s stats show that he can still be a key player for Manchester United

Despite his performance against Tottenham, the Dutchman has shown some promise in his Manchester United career so far.

De Ligt joined United from Bayern Munich for £45 million and has featured in all but one game this season for his new club.

In the Premier League, de Ligt has completed 90% of his passes and is yet to be dispossessed by the opposition. He has also won 69.2% of his aerial duels, suggesting that he is providing quality both in and out of possession.

Some aspects of his game are concerning, though. He has only won 50% of his tackles, which will only be emphasised more if his positioning continues to be an issue.

However, if de Ligt can address his positional problems, his quality on the ball and his physical strength suggest that he should be an important player for Erik ten Hag and United.

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Michael Dawson says what Ange Postecoglou is doing with Tottenham duo is 'brave'

By: Muhammad Saeed on September 25, 2024 / comment : 0 HITC, news

Ange Postecoglou watched his Tottenham side pick up a much-needed three points against Brentford at the weekend.

The Tottenham boss has come under fire, especially after their defeat to Arsenal in the north London derby, but sometimes you need that bit of luck.

They got that when they were fortunate to beat Championship side Coventry City in the League Cup, with two late goals from the London club.

That seems to have helped them because, despite Brentford scoring inside a minute on Saturday, Tottenham still secured a 3-1 win.

Before Postecoglou arrived, there was a lot of noise around the negative style that was played by the likes of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.

It’s fair to say all of that has changed on its head, regardless of the results Spurs are producing.

Postecoglou’s all-action style has lifted fans from their seats once more and resulted in Tottenham playing in their old-school way.

That is also shown by the starting XI the former Celtic manager is putting out because, as Michael Dawson pointed out, it’s very attack-minded.

This isn’t just against Coventry, but in the big games also, even if Spurs find themselves on the losing side against Arsenal.

Dawson highlighted the roles of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski and how their manager is ‘brave’ to play them together in the middle of the park, as he told Sky Sports News (24/09/24 at 10:25 am).

James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski under Ange Postecoglou

“It was a good performance against Brentford at the weekend,” said Dawson. “You look at the week before and they should have got more out of the game, then you go to Coventry and I thought it was a really, really poor performance.

“The performance against Brentford was top draw. You talk about keeping calm. That’s what Spurs did. Going one down after 23 seconds – and you talk about a reaction. But they stuck at it and they got numerous chances.

“Then the best player on the park, for me, was James Maddison. I thought he was magnificent, creating chances and threading balls. He was all over the pitch and he took his goals really well to clinch the three points, which they deserved – the credit that Ange deserves is that he went very attacking again. He went attacking against Arsenal where you went ‘this is brave’. Maddison and Kulusevski. Son on one side and Johnson on the other, then Solanke through the middle. He (Maddison) would drop into midfield. Kulusevski would go into the ten. They would rotate. Really, really good performance and plenty of positives from that game.”

James Maddison needs to find his form

One man who is under huge pressure and in the spotlight is Maddison because his form has been indifferent after he joined from Leicester City last summer.

The 27-year-old started like a house on fire and after ten Premier League games, he was one of the best players in the league.

READ MORE: Jamie O’Hara reacts to England international possibly replacing Son Heung-min at Tottenham 

But injury and a drop in form resulted in Maddison missing the cut for England’s Euro 2024 squad, hence why many are looking forward to how he reacts to that all.

It hasn’t been a blistering start from the playmaker, but Maddison’s performance against Brentford was one of his best in a long while.

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Exclusive: Wolves consider two free-agents after Mosquera ACL blow, 440 Prem appearances combined

By: Muhammad Saeed on September 25, 2024 / comment : 0 HITC, news

Wolves are considering moves for former Newcastle United stalwart Paul Dummett and ex-Crystal Palace defender James Tomkins after losing Yerson Mosquera to an ACL injury.

• Exclusive from Graeme Bailey

Manchester City superstar Rodri was not the only player who saw his Premier League season end before it really began this weekend.

24 hours before the Spain midfielder was forced into an early exit in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal, Yerson Mosquera was stretchered off as Wolverhampton Wanderers lost 3-1 to Midland neighbours Aston Villa.

Manager Gary O’Neil tipped Mosquera for a breakout season at Wolves over the summer, and following the sale of captain Max Kilman to West Ham. The youngster had been one of the success stories of the 2024/25 campaign in the opening weeks too.

But the Colombia international is unlikely to be seen again until deep into 2025, now, with Wolves’ Head of High Performance confirming the club’s worst fears.

Gary O’Neil’s Wolves lose defender Yerson Mosquera to ACL blow

“Yerson has now had all of the various assessments and scans which unfortunately confirm injuries to the medial collateral ligament [MCL] and the anterior cruciate ligament [ACL],” Phil Hayword tells the Wolves website.

“We will be visiting specialists in the coming days to finalise the plan for surgery; this will take place in the next two weeks.

“Clearly there is a long recovery period ahead for Yerson, and the club will be providing all the support he needs to ensure a successful rehabilitation and a return to competition in due course.

“It is highly unlikely he will feature again this season.”

Given that the January transfer window is still months away, Wolverhampton Wanderers will have to dip into the free-agent market if they are to offset Mosquera’s long-term absence with a replacement.

HITC understands that Wolves considered Oumar Solet after Red Bull Salzburg terminated his contract. Former Liverpool veteran Joel Matip – still without a club despite leaving Anfield three months ago – is another they had looked at.

But with no space left in O’Neil’s 25-man squad for any non-homegrown players, Wolves will be limited to English-born players if they want to pursue a short-term solution.

James Tomkins and Paul Dummett under consideration by Wolves

HITC can confirm that James Tomkins is an option. At the age of 35, former West Ham ace Tomkins left Crystal Palace in the summer.

Paul Dummett, three years the former’s junior, is another option. The Wales international had spent the entirety of his career at Newcastle United. Dummett’s ability to provide cover at left-back as well as centre-half may appeal to O’Neil.

Then again, given that Mosquera is a right-footer, Tomkins may be a better tactical fit over southpaw Dummett.

Between them, the veteran duo have made 440 Premier League appearances. Neither Tomkins nor Dummett would be likely to feature regularly if they were to join, of course, with Wolves more likely to give Santiago Bueno a bigger role in Mosquera’s absence.

It was Bueno who replaced the former Villarreal loanee late on as Aston Villa secured another dramatic late win last time out.

“It just doesn’t look good at this moment,” Wolves boss O’Neil told a press conference at full-time, before the full extent of Mosquera’s injury had become clear.

“It was obviously a big blow in the game for us with the time it came. And it would be a big blow for us to lose him for a significant amount of time.

“He plays in an area of the pitch that we are already short in, and he was performing at a very high level for us in that area. Off the back of the back of the transfer window closing, it’s not an area that we could afford to lose someone in.

“Hopefully it’s not as bad as feared, but it’s not good at this moment.”

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'A drifter’: Jamie O’Hara reacts to England international possibly replacing Son Heung-min at Tottenham

By: Muhammad Saeed on September 24, 2024 / comment : 0 HITC, news

Son Heung-min has been an unbelievable servant for Tottenham Hotspur.

The 32-year-old was signed in 2015 when Mauricio Pochettino was in charge and is now entering his tenth year at the club.

From Son producing a record-breaking partnership with Harry Kane to working under five different permanent managers, he has been on some journey and is still going.

But the discussion started about Tottenham possibly needing to replace Son because of his age and the suggestion that he is past his peak. 

First of all, Son was made captain last summer when Hugo Lloris departed, so he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Ange Postecoglou’s all-action style requires a certain type of player for his system, with speed and the want to press high up. 

Tottenham fan Abi Summers suggested her team signs Eberechi Eze and then you will ’see the difference’ in quality.

Eze watched Michael Olise join Bayern Munich in the summer and many felt that the London club would go on to lose his partner in crime.

Tottenham were keen on Eze, but nothing materialised and he is now hoping to take his game to higher levels under Oliver Glasner.

But Jamie O’Hara wasn’t so sure, nor keen on his former club possibly bringing Eze to the other side of London, as he told talkSPORT.

Eberechi Eze tipped to replace Son Heung-min at Tottenham 

“Without a doubt (we have to look for a Son replacement), that’s why I said earlier about Eze, someone like that comes in and then you are seeing the difference in the two players,” said Summers.

“That’s not saying Son hasn’t been an unbelievable servant, but that’s just calling it for what it is where someone is at in their career.”

O’Hara responded: “I am not sure about Eze, you know. No, (I don’t think he will make Spurs better). I think he’s a drifter.”

Eberechi Eze would thrive under Ange Postecoglou 

James Maddison is tasked with bringing the X-Factor for Spurs, but his performances have been mixed, even though he produced a Man of the Match display against Brentford at the weekend.

A player like Eze would provide that and even challenge Maddison for a starting birth, which is what he probably needs. 

READ MORE: Morgan Rogers and Tosin Adarabioyo blown away by Tottenham star after win over Brentford

Added to that, Postecoglou needs depth in quality, especially with the team in Europe this term and that playmaker role is one that’s lacking.

That is another reason to bring a player of Eze’s quality to Hotspur Way because he would help take the team to higher levels.

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Exclusive: Contract update amid Liverpool and Man City's interest in Harry Kane's teammate

By: Muhammad Saeed on September 24, 2024 / comment : 0 HITC, news

• Exclusive from Graeme Bailey

HITC understands that Bayern Munich are working hard to convince Joshua Kimmich to sign a new deal before January, with interest from Manchester City, Liverpool and Barcelona.

The two English giants are expected to battle it out for the Premier League title this season, with Pep Guardiola’s side pushing to win a historical five-in-a-row.

Manchester City recorded an action-packed 2-2 draw against Arsenal on Sunday, but it came at a cost because Rodri is now expected to miss the rest of the season through a knee injury.

That leaves the champions short in midfield, with Kalvin Phillips on loan at Ipswich Town and Mateo Kovacic playing that role whilst Rodri has been absent this term.

Joshua Kimmich under new Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany

Kimmich is out of contract with Bayern next summer. He has previously turned down contracts due to being unsettled under then-head coach Thomas Tuchel.

He agreed to not push for a move last summer, despite strong interest from Barcelona and Manchester City, and give new boss Vincent Kompany time to impress him.

HITC is told that Kimmich has been pleased with how things have gone so far under Kompany and he has confirmed he is willing to consider signing a new deal.

Bayer Leverkusen stormed to the Bundesliga title last season and it meant that Bayern, not only failed to win the title, but went trophyless for the first time in a decade.

But they have started the new campaign in a storming fashion, scoring nine goals in their opening Champions League game, including winning four out of four league matches, scoring 16 and conceding only three.

England captain Harry Kane already has ten goals and five assists to his name.

Bayern are pushing for a deal to be in place before January for Kimmich, at which point he could sign a pre-contract with another club.

Manchester City, Liverpool and Barcelona interested in Joshua Kimmich

Hansi Flick has made it clear to his Barcelona bosses that he would love to bring Kimmich to the Catalan capital, but they are not alone with Man City continuing to show their interest in the 29-year-old – who Guardiola is a huge fan of.

Barcelona have made it six wins from six La Liga matches, including putting five past Villarreal on the road at the weekend.

HITC is also told that Liverpool are also showing an interest in Kimmich, should he opt to leave Munich.

The Reds failed to sign Martin Zubimendi this summer, with Kimmich able to operate as a number six, as well as a right-back.

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Exclusive: Ex-Bluebirds ace keen on Cardiff job, former women's boss also in contention

By: Muhammad Saeed on September 24, 2024 / comment : 0 HITC, news

Former Wales boss Rob Page and ex-Stoke City coach Steven Schumacher would both be keen on becoming Cardiff City’s new manager with Freyr Alexandersson also in contention for the Championship strugglers.

• Exclusive from Graeme Bailey

After a home defeat by Leeds United on Saturday left The Bluebirds glued to the bottom of the table – albeit Daniel Farke’s side were aided by a contentious early red card for Joel Bagan – the under-fire Erol Bulut was finally put out of his misery.

Cardiff City have made their worst start to a season in 94 years.

A campaign which begun with a 5-0 thumping at Burnley has shown few signs of getting better, with Cardiff’s only point coming in the South Wales derby with Swansea.

They were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Southampton – shipping another five goals in the process – and have not found the net themselves in any of their last three outings.

So whoever comes in to replace Bulut at the Cardiff City Stadium will be under pressure to turn things around pretty quickly if they are to succeed in peeling a club whose confidence has hit rock bottom off the canvas.

HITC have been told that, despite a daunting task potentially facing them, both Rob Page and Steven Schumacher would be keen on the role.

Rob Page and Steven Schumacher eye up Cardiff City job

Page, a former Wales international, actually played for Cardiff briefly in the 2004/05 season. He also served as the National Team boss until June.

Page led Wales to the 2022 World Cup but things unraveled pretty quickly after that. A disappointing group-stage exit in Qatar was followed by Wales’ relegation from the top division of the UEFA Nations League.

The Dragons then failed to fire in Euro 2024 qualification. They were knocked out on penalties by Poland in the play-offs.

Page’s relationship with two key players currently at Cardiff City could stand him in good stead, however, should the Llwynypia-born 50-year-old make a return to club management. Veteran Aaron Ramsey and Ruben Colwill both played under Page in the red of Wales.

HITC have been told that Steven Schumacher is another who would be tempted by the chance to replace Erol Bulut.

A decade younger than Page, Schumacher left Stoke City only last week after a poor start to 2024/25. Albeit not quite as poor as Cardiff’s.

His reputation was relatively glittering in the EFL not so long ago, however. A case in point; Schumacher was linked with Leicester after guiding Plymouth Argyle to promotion.

He secured the League One Manager of the Year award in 2023 after Plymouth accumulated 101 points on route to the title. One of many Argyle players who produced the best football of their career under his watch, Plymouth’s Bali Mumba labelled Schumacher an ‘unbelievable’ coach.

Schumacher would not be the first talented young head tactician to bounce back from a difficult spell at a perennially underachieving Stoke outfit either.

Nathan Jones and Gary Rowett would then pull up trees at Luton Town and Millwall respectively, while Alex Neil’s 32 percent win rate in The Potters remains a rare blot on his own copybook.

Freyr Alexadersson could swap Kortrijk for Vincent Tan’s Cardiff

HITC have been told that another, more left-field name, under consideration by Cardiff is that of Freyr Alexadersson.

Formerly the manager of the Iceland Women’s team from 2013 to 2018, Alexandersson recently made the shift over to the men’s game.

The Reykjavik-born 41-year-old also appears to have a knack of helping struggling teams avoid relegation. He took over current employers KV Kortrijk when they were bottom of the Belgian league and kept them in the top flight.

Alexandersson also secured Lyngby Boldklub’s top-flight status after guiding them to promotion from Denmark’s second tier.

Interestingly, Cardiff owner Vincent Tan is also a majority shareholder at Kortrijk. Bluebirds striker Isaak Davies spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan under Alexandersson, scoring 12 goals in the process.

Striker Roko Simic chose Cardiff over Sunderland in the summer, meanwhile, and is now also following in Davies’ footsteps with Alexandersson’s Kortrijk outfit.

And, speaking to Icelandic publication Footbolti a few months ago, Alexandersson admitted he would relish the chance to move from one Tan-controlled club to another.

“Vincent Tan and (Cardiff chief executive) Ken Choo look after both clubs,” Alexandersson said.

“It’s no secret when I spoke to Kortrijk I also had a conversation with the management of Cardiff [about potentially becoming] a manager in the Championship or Premier League.

“There are big dreams and I realise that. It would be great if it was Cardiff. I would love to coach Cardiff at some point.”

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