Arne Slot visited Liverpool’s training ground for the first time this week – and former Reds striker Michael Owen admits the Dutchman will be expected to keep the club near the top of the table in their first season without Jurgen Klopp.
Slot has the tough task of stepping into a legend’s shoes at Anfield, after Klopp won both the Premier League and the Champions League during his time at the club. Liverpool finished third in Klopp’s final season at Anfield, but challenged for the title for most of the campaign – something they did on a regular basis under the German.
Asked what should be the club’s realistic expectations for Slot’s first season, Owen told FourFourTwo that they need to be challenging again, even if they don’t win the Premier League.
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“It will be tough for him, with expectations and everything else,” the former striker said. “I think there need to be signs of playing good football. We’ll see quite early on the style of play and how exciting it is on the eye.
“In the long term, you’d have to think that they have to be competitive. I mean, it’s alright giving managers time, but he does walk into a very good squad already and a very good club that’s very stable at the moment.
“So, say, they come fifth and don’t win a trophy, and saying ‘Oh yeah, it’s just building blocks’, well no, the building blocks have been put in place. I think that winning something obviously would be perfect. If they don’t win anything, they’ve got to be challenging. They’ve got to be in the conversation.”
Owen, though, believes that Slot will receive more support and patience from Liverpool fans than he might receive at other clubs in equivalent situations.
“The one thing with Liverpool is the fans are very, very supportive,” he told FFT. “There are certain clubs when managers are not doing well, they get on their back or on players' backs.
“You’ll never hear Liverpool fans getting on players’ backs. If you’ve got that red shirt, they support you. OK, it might not work for whatever reason, that’s just life. But Liverpool fans are very loyal. Very loyal to their team, very loyal to their manager.
“As long as everybody’s seen to be trying their best, then he’ll certainly get the backing of everybody at the club.”
Michael Owen was speaking in association with AceOdds
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