Arne Slot looked like a boy on the naughty step after misbehaving in a classroom.
He knows the punishment for his actions after the ill-tempered Merseyside Derby may be more severe than writing lines in detention – but his press conference on Friday was basically the Liverpool manager repeating the same mantra: I will not disrespect referees again.
Slot, for the first time on these shores, had a slight controversy to deal with. Nothing major but it felt more headline-grabbing than his usual Friday audiences as he was pushed on the fact he lost his temper at Goodison Park.
Everything has been going so swimmingly for Slot that sometimes, the media have run out of things to quiz him on. Win after win in all competitions, rarely even an injury blow to contend with and a transition from Jurgen Klopp smoother than any Reds fan could have imagined.
After working adjacent to Slot’s Liverpool for six months, it is clear he is an elite coach but above all a genuinely nice chap. Losing his cool for five minutes changes none of that – nor was it a case of any ‘mask slipping’ – but it offers an intriguing glance into a side of him not yet seen.
First-hand tales from the dressing room this season have included voices raised and frustrations from the Liverpool manager, but his rants towards officials at Everton was the first public sighting of Slot’s agitated side.
Arne Slot admitted he let his emotions get the better of him after Liverpool’s draw with Everton
The Dutchman was sent off by referee Michael Oliver after a heated exchange after the final whistle
‘The emotions got the better of me,’ he said. ‘If I could do that differently, I would love to. I am hoping to do it differently next time. What happened was that the extra five minutes ended up being eight.
‘We are in a business that is quite emotional. I’m the type of manager that likes to control as much as I can… so if my player makes a wrong decision, I blame myself because I think I can influence that.
‘But there’s a part you can’t influence, and that’s mainly also the most difficult thing, if you have no influence at all and then you get emotional, like I did. The best thing I could have done was just walk inside, but unfortunately I didn’t.’
Asked if he hopes he will react differently next time things do not go Liverpool’s way, he added: ‘I hope, but I can’t promise. I am a human being. I wasn’t planning to react as I did after the game.
‘But these seven or eight minutes extra time, if you just watch them back, so many incidents happened that I got too emotional. Instead of going inside, calming down and then talking to the referee, I walked on to the pitch, which wasn’t the smartest thing to do in hindsight.’
As detailed by Mail Sport, his actions could mean he has to watch a couple of games from up in the stands. That will not be a problem for Slot, who sat in the press box at St Mary’s earlier this season alongside analyst Roderick van der Ham to oversee a win.
It is rather ironic that Slot had asked his players for ‘cool heads’ before the Merseyside Derby and ended up being the one to have metaphoric steam coming from his ears – but none of this means he is one to regularly lose his control.
As football fans, you all know how it feels when you perceive an injustice against your team. Many would act the same if not worse.
James Tarkowski rescued a point for the Toffees with a brilliantly taken half-volley in the 98th minute
Indeed, this was the first known sighting of Slot in such a manner. Dutch sources pointed to an incident at FC Twente when Robin Propper, now at Rangers, prompted the then-Feyenoord boss to act in anger for kicking the ball away.
But the anecdotes on similar incidents were few and far between.
David Moyes also has his sympathies for Slot and the Everton boss said: ‘I feel a bit for Arne because when I was a younger manager, I was always getting involved in heated things. It tells me he cares a lot about his team.
‘I’ve had plenty of moments I’m not proud of but we all have to fight our corner.’
Slot said on his opposite number on Merseyside: ‘I have to give credit to David Moyes. Since he came in he has done a tremendous job and he made it such a tough game for us.’
After the on-pitch melees and emotionally-charged scenes on the touchline, niceties were belatedly exchanged. Slot’s one and only Goodison Park experience ended in him losing his cool – but his calm and collected demeanour is already back as Liverpool go for the title.
Meanwhile, both Merseyside clubs suffered injury blows in the ill-tempered fixture. Cody Gakpo is a doubt for Liverpool’s game with Wolves due to a foot injury, while Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye has suffered medial ligament damage and will be out for a significant period.
