Steve Nicol has warned Arne Slot that he could face ‘teething problems’ in his first few matches in charge of Liverpool.
The Dutchman is gearing up for his debut campaign as the Reds’ head coach, having replaced the legendary Jurgen Klopp, and the former LFC defender is fearful that it could take time for things to click under the new boss.
Speaking on ESPN FC, the pundit said: “It does seem unlikely that Liverpool are going to be as close [to the Premier League title] for as long [as last season]. You would expect Liverpool’s start to be… not quite at it, considering all the changes.
“Certainly for any team with a new manager, there’s no question there’ll be teething problems with the way he wants things done. You can’t afford to start a season not quite at it and not quite 100% sure of how you’re going to go about it. For me, that means that I’d be surprised if Liverpool win the title.”
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You probably won’t find too many Liverpool fans who realistically expect Slot to deliver Premier League glory in his first season in charge, although Klopp has bequeathed him a squad which wasn’t far off Manchester City and Arsenal last term.
The Reds begin the new campaign with some tricky away fixtures, going to a buoyant Ipswich on the opening day and travelling to Old Trafford on 1 September, somewhere which hasn’t often been a happy hunting ground for us despite Manchester United’s travails in recent years.
With 11 first-team players not due to return to Merseyside until early August after going deep into Euro 2024 or the Copa America, the new boss will have a very short window with his full squad until the competitive action begins.
It’ll naturally take time for Slot’s ideas to click seamlessly, but a strong start to the season could help to build momentum as Liverpool seek to move on from the glorious Klopp era.
You can view Nicol’s predicton below (from 1:19), via ESPN FC on YouTube:
The post (Video) Steve Nicol shares ominous Liverpool prediction as Slot gears up for start of first season appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.
