Raymond Verheijen, known among Liverpool fans on social media as 'The Fitness Egg', was a constant critic of squad conditioning methods during the early days of his tenure. Now, while praising successor .
Verheijen, a former youth player in Holland who had to retire at 18 due to chronic injury, moved into coaching where he worked with Chelsea, Manchester City and Barcelona, along with the national teams of Wales, Holland, Russia and South Korea.
He had previously labelled David Moyes "a dinosaur" during his unsuccessful stint at Manchester United in 2013 and followed up his criticism of Borussia Dortmund when Klopp's Liverpool squad suffered a series of injuries in 2017, .
This long-distance war of words prompted a response from Klopp about Liverpool's hectic festive schedule in 2016: "We play two games in 48 hours, there will be injuries and then some Dutch guy will say things."
In 2018, when Liverpool reached the final and finished fourth in the Premier League, sparking a successful period under Klopp, Verheijen offered what seemed like a backhanded compliment. He said it was "encouraging to see managers like Jurgen Klopp are not too old to learn from their mistakes in previous seasons".
However, Verheijen believes his comments should not have been seen as negative by the former Liverpool boss. "Criticism is actually a positive thing because criticism means that you try to identify and correct flaws," he explained.
"That is a necessity if you want to develop and improve.
"I criticised these coaches based on evidence, I always substantiated my criticism with objective, logical arguments and not my subjective opinion.
"I also always said it in advance. A lot of people criticise afterwards but that is easy because then you already know the end result. I predicted the mistakes."
Klopp's successor Slot has had a record-breaking start as Liverpool boss with nine wins from 10 games in all competitions. Verheijen, a fellow Dutchman, added: "Slot has already developed himself as one of the best Dutch coaches. He has a great tactical understanding of the game."
"When he talks about the game, he is always clear because he keeps things simple and to the point. Also, he has a very football-specific approach which is much appreciated by players."
In an exclusive interview with , Verheijen issued a warning of potential fitness concerns for the Liverpool squad. Already without key players like Alisson Becker for at least a month and Harvey Elliott, whose recovery looks to be on course after fracturing his foot, he noted that coaching changes often lead to more injuries.
"When there is a change in coaching staff, there is a spike in injuries and this spike is significantly bigger if the change in coaching staff also means a change of fitness coach," Verheijen said.
"A lot of fitness coaches aren't football coaches, so they are thinking about fitness in a non-football or isolated way.
"Fitness coaches all have a different way of training, meaning the players' bodies have to adapt to a totally new way of training and that is the main reason for those injuries."
You may also like
Admission can't be denied on disability ground if it doesn't come in the way of pursuing studies: SC
'I'm an American visiting major UK city for first time – the stereotypes are true'
Indian climber rescued from Russia's Mount Elbrus
Suits & Sayings: Sticky Wicket
BBC Escape to the Country's Jules Hudson 'worried' as house hunter issues strict warning
Odisha CM to attend swearing-in ceremony of new Haryana govt
Apple launches new iPad mini with AI features
DWP rule blocking 60,000 people from claiming Pension Credit despite qualifying
Domestic air passenger traffic rises 6 pc in September
The magical Christmas market in seaside town named one of the best places to live
Comet A3 to dazzle UK skies last time for 80,000 years tonight - how to see 'Comet of the Century'
Amanda Holden shares Simon Cowell concerns as 'he's got no strong women around him at BGT'
Hotel guest 'unlocks new fear' after making chilling discovery on bathroom door
'I've found a coat so gorgeous I'll wear it every day - and it's on sale'
Nikki Tamboli Is In Love With Arbaz Patel: 'Pyaar Hai Toh Hai'
Delhi court to deliver verdict on Satyendar Jain's bail plea on Oct 18
Bypolls for five Assembly seats in Assam on Nov 13; BJP to contest three seats
Thomas Tuchel to England truth as former Chelsea boss enters advanced talks over role
'I was right to criticize Jurgen Klopp but Liverpool has one of the best in Arne Slot'
Debenhams slashes price of £3,600 luxury watch by 93% to £234 in huge sale