Slot style 'inspired by Guardiola and Klopp'

New Liverpool head coach Arne Slot says his preferred style of play - and that of many coaches around Europe - has been "inspired" by the rivalry between his predecessor Jurgen Klopp's Reds and Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in recent seasons.

Slot has given his first interview to club media following his departure from Feyenoord to succeed Klopp at Anfield.

The Dutchman said: "This has been an era where everybody looked at the Barcelona side of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi and the rivalry there was with Real Madrid, with Cristiano Ronaldo being there.

"When that came to an end, the new rivalry in European football came because of Jurgen - he managed Liverpool and Pep Guardiola managed Manchester City. For everyone who loves football, it was a fantastic era to watch the both of them getting the best out of each other."

Asked if there are similarities in style between himself and Klopp, Slot added: "I think there are and I think that's also one of the reasons why I came in.

"When something has been successful, a certain way of playing, you would like to extend this or to go on with this. This is probably one of the reasons they came to me as well.

"It is my style but I think it is the style of many modern coaches at the moment. We were all a bit inspired because of the rivalry between City and Liverpool.

"At a big club, where I worked at Feyenoord as well, it is probably the only style you can play; to have the ball a lot and to have a lot of energy."