Ronald Koeman explains why Arne Slot is 'lucky' after Liverpool's 3-0 mauling of Man Utd
Ronald Koeman watched his two fellow Dutchmen Arne Slot and Erik ten Hag go head to head at Old Trafford and was left impressed by Slot after watching Liverpool thump Manchester United
Ronald Koeman has insisted Liverpool boss Arne Slot is "lucky" to have the quality of players he has at his disposal after his side thrashed Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford.
Slot is earning admirers on Merseyside after guiding the Reds to three straight victories without a goal conceded - the latest being a comprehensive victory over their bitter rivals United away from home courtesy of a Luis Diaz brace and a Mohamed Salah strike.
Liverpool looked dangerous with every attack as Diaz, Salah and Diogo Jota caused United a host of problems with their fast counter attacks, with the team scoring nine goals already in this campaign.
The Netherlands boss tuned into the game as his two fellow Dutchmen Slot and Erik ten Hag went head to head - keeping an eye on some of his own players as Mattijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee, Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo all featured.
READ MORE: Man Utd icon Steve Bruce back in work as League One club appoints ex-Newcastle bossREAD MORE: Ronald Koeman warns Liverpool breakout star Ryan Gravenberch after 'laziness' claim"I watched because of the many Dutch players," he said, as reported by the Sun. "But of course I also looked at it from a manager's point of view, Arne Slot is doing a slightly better job. But if you have the front three that he has, you must realise you are lucky."
Koeman spent a year in charge of Liverpool's rivals Everton, suffering the sack in 2017 after a run of poor results saw the Toffees fall into the relegation zone. He later took charge of the Netherlands for two years before an ill-fated year at Barcelona, where he was also sacked in 2021, and later returned to the Holland job.
His compatriot Slot arrived at Liverpool this summer and has enjoyed a superb start, despite only signing two senior players so far. The former Feyenoord coach impressed many with his analytical view of Liverpool's performance as he also pinpointed United's weaknesses while speaking to Sky Sports.
"Their full-backs, nine out of ten times, are really high, and then Casemiro comes in between. So, if you pick up the ball and you can keep Diaz and Mo Salah high, then you're constantly in a one-on-one situation.
"Then you need midfielders that can run, and we had three of them today that kept running, and if they arrive in a duel, they are aggressive enough to win it. So that was, I think, one of the main reasons why we could win today."
On the other hand, the result heaped pressure on Ten Hag, who has now suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League going into the international break. The ex-Ajax boss was defiant after the game but lost his cool with a reporter who had questioned his coaching and mistakes he was making.
Ten Hag replied: "Are you sure? We wouldn't win trophies otherwise. After City, we won the most trophies in English football [since Ten Hag's arrival in 2022]. I am sorry for you."
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