Slot, from footballer to successful coach: ‘Arne was young and a bit stubborn’

Arne Slot smiles on the shoulders of the players and takes a lap of honor through the entire stadium. That is the dream scenario for Feyenoord fans tonight against AS Roma in the Conference League final. But this scene happened once, nine years ago. Sometimes coaches forget what kind of footballer they once were.

In 1995 Arend Martijn Slot took a permanent place in the selection of FC Zwolle at the age of seventeen. Before that, ‘Arne’ made his debut at the age of fifteen against amateur club VV Bergentheim, where he started earlier. As a stuntman, he took the young captain’s armband.

Slot’s first term at Zwolle under Jan Everse has been full of ups and downs. Numerous injuries and sitting on the bench was still too short physically, according to Everse Slot.

Everse said: “She struggled with it because she thought it was right. He didn’t doubt his own qualities,” he recalls. “Arne was young and a bit stubborn, so I said invest in yourself or you’ll always doubt.” This message is over.

In seven years, Slot becomes an easy-to-get number 10 that has to rely more on technique than walking ability. In the lock highlights, fine markings, velvet estimates and measured inserts appear. It usually seems very easy.

‘slime’

“A lot of people thought that Arne was lazy and cold-blooded and didn’t do much about it,” says Everse. “But that wasn’t true. Arne could not be expected to slip.”

FC Zwolle was promoted to the Eredivisie in 2002 on the basis of his refined right leg. The slot moved to NAC Breda that summer, where it finished fourth behind the traditional top three under Henk ten Cate.

The slot machine enters Europe, but its gaming career is no higher than a European duel. NAC went bankrupt, even fought against relegation in 2006 and moved to Slot Sparta. His first acquaintance with Rotterdam.

Has an under-topper ever had to deal with a goal-rich midfielder? It doesn’t seem so. Evers has a statement. “The locomotion has become much slower.” No, Slot wasn’t fast but he made a good pass. No miracles involved, but a glimpse of the game: “He knew how to get the best out of it with his qualities.”

View photos of Arne Slot as a football player here:

At 31 – the right knee squeaks and squeaks – it’s time to go home. Relax in the Zwolle Eredivisie. His then teammate, Bram van Polen, said the coach’s dream took shape here.

“Arne was constantly working with the boys of the team during training, so clearly a manager is in the works.” The experienced player was able to fine-tune a few things during training by applying a lot of pressure from the first round. “He really wanted to succeed again with Zwolle.”

And the future: national titles and promotion to the Eredivisie in 2012. The slot machine will play at the highest level for another year and then stop kicking. Life begins in the canoe.

What has always been there as a player is increasingly bubbling with the trainer slot. “As a coach, he is much more involved than a player, often against the umpires,” says Everse. “He is very merciful.”

And the physical form of their team. “The state in which he wanted to get his boys in shape did not exist before. I don’t know if he’s seen inside a weight room.” A wink from an old teammate.

‘Arne’s Nest Ball’

However, the trainer’s nest never leaves the player’s nest completely. “Sometimes you still see things at Feyenoord,” said Van Polen. The ‘Arne Slot ball’ is still with us in PEC,” he says.

The PEC Zwolle captain explains that the ‘Arne Slot ball’ was an almost uncontrollable pass from behind the backline in one move, leaving a fast winger deep. The slot made him perfect as a player. “Kökcu also wants to give those balls.”

The game that Slot used to teach at AZ and now at Feyenoord, Everse knows from his time at Zwolle. “In addition, we are playing exactly like Feyenoord at the moment, we are putting a lot of pressure on him. I am not surprised that he plays like that.”

I

If he had gone to Ajax, I wouldn’t have thought so much.

Slot’s biggest difference between being a player and a coach seems to be stability. “Arne has a vision and will work with him every day and is a real coach like Guardiola and Van Gaal. We should be grateful that Slot wants to play by attacking instead of being destroyed.”

Compliments pour in on Slot as a person, along with compliments on how he lets his teams play. Apparently Slot is a warm and friendly guy. According to Van Polen, he is a “good person”. Someone who is clearly amused and rarely seems nervous. A joke here and there at press conferences and interviews.

He is sometimes caught laughing at the frenzy going on on and around the field. For example, about the acting of Ajax player Antony in the Classic or when angry Diego Simeone pushed him after a practice match. The lock remains quiet.

But Slot’s image of a treasure isn’t quite right. He is not afraid to make a difficult decision. Whether it’s for the team – Feyenoord captain Jens Toornstra has lost his groundbreaking place in recent months – or for himself – it’s a sudden change from A to Z Feyenoord.

“I didn’t think he was so crazy if he had gone to Ajax,” says Everse. “I think Arne simply thinks of his own interests. It’s okay, because that’s how it can end in the football world.” But hide something? Slot doesn’t do that.

sharpness

“What you see is who I am,” he said as a brand new AZ coach. “You can also be calm and analytical and at the same time very clear.” Tornstra is aware of this. “It can touch and motivate you”. As a coach, Slot shows its players exactly what it expects of them.

Van Polen also remembers this from Slot’s time as a player. “He is very open and you should not come to him with nonsense and injustice, he is very bad at that. bad at that.”

“Arne is a diplomat,” says Everse. “He tells the group what to say and doesn’t hide it.” This is perhaps the most important thing Slot Coach has learned as a player: to bring clarity. This is exactly what footballers love.