Top journalist admits he's ENJOYING Pep's demise because of Arne Slot

Something very special happened on Saturday evening and it contributed to the serious feeling of goodwill around Liverpool Football Club.

Two second-half goals by Brighton and Hove Albion meant that they handed Manchester City their fourth defeat in a row in all competitions, something that had never happened to City manager Pep Guardiola in his entire managerial career.

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Combined with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Anfield, Liverpool now sit five points ahead of second-place City as we head into the November international break.

And all of this has been achieved in just 11 league games by new head coach Arne Slot, who has endeared himself to the football world not just with his performances on the pitch but also with his affable demeanour in media appearances.

Prominent Dutch journalist Nico Dijkshoorn has expressed just why Slot seems to be a breath of fresh air in a sardonic article for Dutch outlet Voetbal International.

“The ease with which he talks and the time he takes to discuss tactics with interviewers in great detail, I find it impressive. It all seems suspiciously like pleasure,” Dijkshoorn writes.

“That's probably why I enjoy Pep Guardiola's decline so much. He suddenly belongs, thanks to Arne Slot, to an old-fashioned group of managers. Pep Guardiola has been keeping journalists at a distance with cynicism and irony for years. Arne Slot shows that it can be done differently.

“The new managers understand that you have to take journalists seriously. They never cut off an interview. That's why I enjoy Pep Guardiola's losing streak. He has chosen bored arrogance for years and now there's no way back.”

Dijkshoorn makes these comments as someone enjoying watching Pep struggle to get the level of performance out of his team as seen previously. And, truly, he is right and he should say it.

Slot's Liverpool exploit Guardiola's toxic atmosphere

Liverpool are, by no means, ‘the underdog’. This is not a Leicester City situation of 2015/16 where a group of misfits and journeymen should ‘dare to dream’. This is a precisely worked and put-together group of talented individuals reaping the rewards of their effort.

Yet, for years now, whatever any other team tries to do, Manchester City do it better. No one should be writing them off yet as we have seen lacklustre City performances in November before they win the league at a canter before we even get to May.

But this time it feels different. And, as Dijkshoorn alluded to, Arne Slot is central to it. His ability to chat to journalists and presenters, laugh along with them, even disagree and hide information from them whilst seeming like he’s doing them a favour, is a wonder to behold.

His breakdown of tactics against Manchester United early in the season was the first iteration, but since then he seems to have a wonderful interview every week.

Joking about Ibrahima Konate’s mistake against Wolves, telling Mo Salah he should play right-back after Chelsea, even laughing as he tells journalists to wait before asking for contract updates, he has taken the league by storm.

Contrast this to Guardiola getting into arguments with Brighton defenders seemingly for not letting Erling Haaland do what he wants - or Mikel Arteta’s consistent crying about injuries - and Liverpool are embodying the ethos of ‘feel good, play good’.

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