Arne Slot started his new journey at Liverpool with a 2-0 victory over rookie Ipswich Town. That impressive performance made The Kop fans have a lot of expectations. Even though he had a good start, Arne Slot also faced a lot of pressure. One of them is historical factors, when Dutch coaches are often unsuccessful at this tournament.
History has proven that the Premier League is not a promised land for Dutch strategists. According to statistics, there are 15 Spanish, 14 Italian, 8 French, 6 Portuguese and 6 German coaches leading teams in England's highest division. These countries all have coaches who have won the Premier League or Champions League title.
Meanwhile, the 10 Dutch coaches who have worked in the Premier League only have the highest achievement being the FA Cup. Those who received this title are Ruud Gullit (Chelsea 1996-1997 season), Guus Hiddink (Chelsea, 2008-2009), Louis van Gaal (Manchester United, 2015-2016) and Erik ten Hag (Manchester United, 2023- 2024).
Ten Hag is the most successful Dutch strategist in the Premier League when he and Man United won the League Cup in 2023. However, his future is also at risk if he does not have good results this season.
The biggest barrier for Dutch coaches when working in the Premier League is "not having a good relationship with the players". Ruud Gullit was once highly appreciated for helping Chelsea quench its 26-year thirst for titles by winning the FA Cup. However, just 9 months later, the Dutch legend was suddenly fired when the Blues were ranked 2nd in the Premier League and reached the quarterfinals of two cup tournaments.
Former football player Michael Duberry described Gullit as a friendly football player but an unapproachable coach. Famous players born in 1962 always call players "boy", as a way to remind students of their status. As one of the best players in the world, it is understandable that Gullit rates himself highly compared to his less experienced students. However, this made him unpopular with the players.
Similar to Ruud Gullit, Ronald Koeman became a coach when he was one of the best defenders in the world. This causes the 61-year-old strategist and the young players at Everton to have certain barriers. The Athletic revealed that the imposition of iron discipline and a series of harsh and tough regulations made Koeman unpopular with the players. In particular, prohibiting players' family members from appearing in the training ground canteen area is said to go against the Goodison Park team's principle of "unity as a family".
Not only that, Dutch coaches are also considered to have big egos and an unadaptable attitude, forcing everything to happen their way. According to Ryan Babel - former Liverpool striker, his Dutch compatriots speak good English but have poor communication skills.
When coaches win achievements with big teams in the Eredivisie like Ajax, PSV Eindhoven or Feyenoord, they feel their playing style is capable of dominating the tournament. However, the truth is that the teams in the highest division in the Netherlands have a much lower level than those in England.
“When coming to a new tournament with different cultures and rule sets, sometimes you need to adapt first. The gap between the Eredivisie and the Premier League is huge. Coaches need to adapt, instead of forcing the tournament to change with them" - Ryan Babel shared.
As admitted by Jan Everse (former coach Arne Slot ), Dutch strategists are mostly conservative and stubborn. However, Arne Slot is a different case compared to predecessors such as Ruud Gullit, Ronald Koeman or Louis van Gaal. According to Jan Everse, Slot has a 99% chance of success at Liverpool thanks to his diplomacy and dressing room management.
