One of the reasons why Sir Alex Ferguson was as successful as he was as Manchester United manager was that he was constantly chopping and changing who his coaches were. However good you are, players will get bored of hearing the same voices again and again, so Ferguson’s decision to keep giving them something new to listen to paid dividends.
Whilst it is unlikely that Liverpool players will be sick of the sound of Arne Slot’s dulcet Dutch tones after just one season, it is noteworthy that the Reds have made some changes this summer, even if some have been enforced.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst Arrives
In the wake of John Heitinga’s departure from Liverpool in order to become the new head coach at Ajax, the Reds needed a replacement for the Dutchman on Arne Slot’s staff. Rumours emerged that former Liverpool player Dirk Kuyt was at the top of the list, only for those to soon be denied. As with many parts of modern-day LFC, there was no rush to make any old decision, rather the desire to take the time to make the right one. Richard Hughes felt that Giovanni van Bronckhorst would be a strong addition, but the man himself had to be persuaded and Slot had to hit it off with him too.
@espnnl Van Bronckhorst is de nieuwe assistent van Slot bij Liverpool ✅️👀 #vanbronckhorst #slot #liverpool ♬ original sound – violet
The pair sat down together and reportedly hit it off straight away, sharing a vision of how the team should play and what their ambitions should be. For his own part, van Bronckhorst’s ambitions were believed to extend to being a manager in his own right, having already had spells at Feyenoord, Rangers and Besiktas. Whilst that might well be the case in the future, for the moment he is happy to learn at the feet of a master and his feeling is that that is exactly the bracket that Slot fits into after winning the Premier League title at the end of the 2024-2025 campaign.
What He’ll Bring
Having begun his playing career at Feyenoord in 1993, playing more than 100 games for the Dutch side, van Bronckhorst moved to Rangers before enjoying a spell at Arsenal and then Barcelona, heading back to Feyenoord to end his playing career. He won the Scottish Premier League twice, the English title with the Gunners and two La Ligas playing for Barcelona, alongside numerous different domestic cups. He also won the Eredivisie with Feyenoord in 2016-2017. In other words, he knows exactly what it takes to lift trophies come the end of the season, which Liverpool will want to do again.
Having played both in defence and midfield, van Bronckhorst will doubtless be expected to help those two departments tighten up as much as possible. As a player, he worked with some of the best names in the game at the time, learning from the likes of Arsène Wenger and Frank Rijkaard. He was renowned for his analysis work at Rangers, which will be something he is likely to continue as an assistant coach at Liverpool. Ultimately, things didn’t end well for him there, nor did he pull up any trees at Besiktas, so this is a chance for him to prove he is still capable of being a top manager in his own right.
Goalkeeping Coach Changes Too
Whilst confirmation of van Bronckhorst as the new assistant coach is the headline-grabbing news that has emerged from Anfield, it isn’t the only change that is happening for the Reds. The club has also confirmed the return of Xavi Valero as the goalkeeping coach, having previously served in that capacity during Rafa Benítez’s period in charge. In fact, Benítez trusted his compatriots so much that he took him with him when he was the manager of Inter Milan, Chelsea, Napoli and Real Madrid; albeit some of those appointments went better for the Spaniard than others did.
Interestingly, Valero has been working with West Ham United in recent years, which might signal something of a chance of direction for Liverpool’s plans with the goalkeepers. Whilst no one would say there is a huge amount to learn from the Hammers, they do at least know how to cope with the physicality of the Premier League and that is something that the Reds struggled with at times last season. The return of Valero means the departure of both Fabian Otte and Claudio Taffarel, with the latter having joined the Reds’ coaching department in 2021, being considered something of a legend in his native Brazil.
