Cyriel Dessers claims Arne Slot isn't just a "good manager" (Credits: Imago Images)
Arne Slot isn’t just a master team builder, but the Dutchman’s ability to handle players has recently come into light following his talks with Federico Chiesa.
Federico Chiesa found himself outside the UEFA Champions League List A squad, which sparked great controversy across football.
Due to the deficiency of homegrown players, Arne Slot had to keep the list tight, which led to the manager preferring teenage sensation Rio Ngumoha over the Italian winger.
Slot did mention the challenges of making such decisions and talked about Chiesa’s reaction to the news as the exchange remained respectable between the gaffer and player.
“Of course, that is one of the most difficult things you have to do as a manager. For a player not to play, it is not always easy to tell them, but not to be in the squad is always more difficult.”
“I just explained to him why we made this choice. Of course, he wasn’t happy with that. I think he understood my arguments – that is not to say he agreed with them.”
“He didn’t tell me, by the way, that he didn’t agree with them! But he gave me the answer you want to hear from a player, that he will be there to help the team in the cups and in the league.”
Quiz: Can you name the team Liverpool signed these players from?
[freshpress-quiz id=”22938″]
Former Feyenoord star Cyriel Dessers says Arne Slot is not only a “good manager”
Following the incidents with Federico, Ex-Feyenoord striker Cyriel Dessers talks about how Slot handles such situations and his ability to understand players.
“When I was at Feyenoord, there was a match Arne Slot started with Bryan Linssen instead of me against Heerenveen. I was so disappointed. I came ten minutes before the end. It was freezing cold, the match was already over, nobody really wanted to go forward.”
“I came on with a really poor attitude because I was so disappointed that I wasn’t allowed to start. After the match, Slot sat next to me on the bus. I’ve had managers who got angry in such a situation.”
“But he actually said in a very normal and calm way that he understood how I felt. He also explained why he had made his choice. I apologised, he said again that he could imagine my emotions.”
“I walked back to the back of that bus and felt like it was out of my system, and [I] still think back to that one conversation sometimes. There, Arne proved to me that he is not only a good manager, but also a good person”, Dessers said.
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