The Anfield faithful have quickly been won over by Arne Slot, who appears to have a major fan in Gary Lineker. The Dutch tinkerer faced a monumental task in filling Jurgen Klopp's shoes at Liverpool, yet he's flourished on Merseyside thus far. Liverpool are perched atop the Premier League and have reached the Champions League's last 16 at the top of their class. Moreover, they're still in the hunt for a quadruple as they compete for both the FA Cup and the League Cup. However, they'll need to overturn a slight deficit against Tottenham in the latter to book their spot at Wembley.

Lineker, 64, recently visited Liverpool's Kirkby training ground to get a sneak peek at Slot behind the scenes. And he pinpointed five aspects of Slot's methods that impressed him most on the latest episode of 'The Rest Is Football' podcast (via the Liverpool Echo). "Assuredness, a confidence," he said to co-analyst Micah Richards. "You can see how organised he is, how he understands the game really well tactically.".

A confident approach and a sharp tactical mind might draw comparisons to Klopp himself. Lineker also emphasised the ex-Feyenoord chief harbours an intense passion for football, describing him as someone who "eats, sleeps and lives" the sport. However, he attributed one particular trait to Slot that might discern a difference between him and his predecessor. He continued: "The calmness as well, I thought was interesting. Because a lot of coaches, they're kind of energetic.... you don't see that from him.".

The last two points Lineker observed about Slot's tenure at Liverpool relate more to the atmosphere he has cultivated since taking over at Anfield. This was reflected in the demeanour of his players, underlining his impact in a short period. "I tell you what struck me most about being inside the training ground, though, was the culture and the way everybody was," Lineker added. "And you would expect this when things are going really well, but there was a real kind of joy about the place. A bit of camaraderie. And all the players came down to say hello - or most of them.".

Richards joked his colleague might have only seen "the ones you've not slagged off." And while Slot perhaps hasn't had a lot to fix, given the solid foundations left by his predecessor, he's still deserving of his praise after what's been a miraculous first six months in the job. He even quoted the Dutchman saying it was "one of the great testaments" to Klopp, showing he's aware of the contribution made by the man who came before him.

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