Kostas Tsimikas has opened up on the impact made by Arne Slot at Liverpool, with the Dutchman building on Jurgen Klopp's work to lead the Reds to Premier League glory this season
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Arne Slot lifting the Premier League trophy in May 2025
Arne Slot won the Premier League in his first season as Liverpool manager
(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool defender Kostas Tsimikas has discussed the tactical adjustments made by manager Arne Slot in his debut season at Anfield. Slot, who succeeded Jurgen Klopp in the summer of 2024, lifted the Premier League title at his first attempt, equalling the German’s tally.
Defensive solidity was crucial in the early stages of the season. Slot's Reds didn't concede a single goal until the fourth game of the campaign, letting in just three in their first eight matches to establish a lead at the top that they never looked like losing.
"Slot changed the whole tactical approach," Tsimikas told Greek publication Sport24, reports the Mirror. "The detail he put into every session was incredible, in some things that were the A and Z for him.
"One of them is to defend in five seconds. He set a rule, when we lose possession all players must be behind the ball within five seconds.”
The Greece international went on to compare it with Klopp’s approach, saying: "This instruction, along with his tactical mind, with the new ideas, with the way we would play, all of this together was what we were missing in previous years to win the championship.
“When you defend with 10 men and a goalkeeper, it's something very important, that was the first thing he told us from day one, that this is exactly what he wants."
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However, tactics weren't the only decisive factor. While Slot's fresh ideas helped the team improve on their third-place finish under Klopp the previous season, the former Feyenoord boss still needed his players to fully commit to the cause.
Kostas Tsimikas applauding Liverpool's fans
Tsimikas played his part in the title triumph(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Tsimikas added: "In every meeting we had before the game, he used to say a line that I think is the most important, 'Beyond all the tactics I can show you and tell you how to play, if you don't put your feet up, if you don't really want it, there's no way we're going to win anything.’”
Despite winning the title, Slot isn't resting on his laurels just yet. He has already spoken about the potential for new additions, with Florian Wirtz due to join in a club-record deal following the arrivals of Giorgi Mamardashvili and Jeremie Frimpong.
"I don't know if it's going to be a lot but we know, the club, Richard [Hughes], the ownership, we are all aligned on what we are trying to achieve," he told Sky Sports in May. "It is already very, very positive that we kept Mo and Virgil and a few others that we are trying to sign look positive.
"We are very happy with the squad that we have. This club has always shown that if they can strengthen, that's what we do. Big summer or not, it is already big because we won the league."
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Milos Kerkez looks set to join Wirtz in heading to Merseyside for a medical in the not too distant future. A £40m deal has nearly been agreed with Bournemouth, with Kerkez expected to sign a five-year deal.