Arne Slot has made a significant impact in the Premier League in his first season as Liverpool manager.
The 46-year-old Dutchman is aiming for the title, potentially the Reds` second in the Premier League era, outperforming Arsenal.
However, this isn`t the first time he has created a buzz in football with his innovative tactics.
Back in 2011, he introduced an unprecedented idea that, unlike his current success, didn`t quite pan out as planned.
It was even described as "een briljante mislukking" – "a brilliant failure".
Footage from The Athletic reveals Slot`s utterly perplexing move.
While playing as a midfielder for PEC Zwolle in the Dutch second division, Slot received permission from his coaches to test a novel kickoff strategy aimed at outsmarting opponents.
It certainly surprised everyone, including his own teammates and fans.
Slot, a playmaker, teamed up with Joey van den Berg for the kickoff, flicking the ball up before launching it skyward in a truly unbelievable scene.
The concept was to send the ball soaring into the opposition`s half, potentially even into their penalty area, allowing Slot’s Zwolle teammates to chase it down and capitalize on the ensuing confusion in the defense, hopefully leading to a goal.
This tactic was rehearsed in training and showed enough promise to warrant a try during a match.
However, when the crucial moment arrived, Slot`s execution went awry. He kicked the ball almost straight up, slightly backward, instead of towards the goal.
It landed in his own half, just inside the center circle, amidst bewildered players and ironic cheers from the spectators. The commentator described this unforeseen match start as "extraordinarily strange".
Slot`s embarrassing mistake is still fondly remembered in Dutch football, frequently shown on television, and those involved can`t help but laugh at its sheer absurdity.
Art Langeler, Slot`s manager at the time, explained to De Stentor newspaper: "The idea was to fire the ball as high as possible into the penalty area, where our three strikers would be positioned on the edge of the area, ready for when it dropped. We hoped to create a scoring opportunity from the chaos."
"We even practiced it three times in training. That’s why Jaap Stam [assistant coach] and I decided, ‘Let’s give it a go’."
'MADE HIMSELF LOOK RIDICULOUS'
"But it required precise execution, naturally."
"It was quite comical. Without knowing the plan, you’d wonder, ‘What on earth are they doing? They’re just kicking the ball up in the air.’"
"No, it was a brilliant failure, let`s just call it that."
Jan Everse, another Zwolle coach, added to The Athletic: "It was still a ridiculous idea. Arne has many ideas, but this was unfortunately one of his worst."
"The kick was not what he intended. He completely missed it."
"He made himself look ridiculous — it was unbelievable."
Despite the first attempt`s failure, Slot was determined to retry the tactic later that year, again against Cambuur, and again it went completely wrong.
It`s safe to say that Liverpool fans shouldn`t expect to see Mo Salah or Dominik Szoboszlai employing the hoof-it-high-and-hope-for-chaos kickoff strategy in the Premier League anytime soon…
Marcus Bellamy