With Manchester United having announced the sacking of Erik Ten Haag, Arne Slot is now the only permanent Dutch manager in the Premier League. Questions are again being raised of Dutch managers in the Premier League and if Arne Slot may be the one to break the mold.
It may be assumed that there has been a plethora of successful Dutch managers since the formation of the Premier League in 1992. After all, the play-style most successful teams have favoured in the past 32 years has grown out of the philosophy Johan Cruyff instilled at Barcelona.
This is not the case however. In regard to the four major trophies on offer for teams in the Premier League since its formation (The Premier League, The FA Cup, The League Cup and the Champions League) a Dutch manager has only led a British side to glory on five occasions.
While not insignificant, these five trophies pale in comparison to other nations of similar stature in the world of football:
- UK: 39
- Spain: 18
- France: 13
- Italy: 11
- Portugal: 8
- Germany: 6
- Netherlands: 5
- Chile: 3
- Denmark: 1
It’s also worth noting that the Denmark and Netherlands managers are the only ones on the list to not win the Premier League or Champions League.
Ten Hag himself won two of these trophies and his tenure in the North-West has ultimately been deemed a failure, so now the question must remain, can Arne Slot separate himself from the rest?
Slot has already proven better than former Crystal Palace manager Frank De Boer, who only lasted four league games before losing his job, and he’s certainly made a flying start to life in Merseyside.
It would surprise no one to see silverware follow, but whether he can pave the way and become the first truly successful manager in English football, and add to Liverpool’s impressive honours list, remains to be seen.
Featured image (c) Julian Finney
