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Liverpool may be enduring a difficult spell at present, but Arne Slot possesses the composure to guide the team through its current troubles.
That's the view of Dutch soccer expert Marcel van der Kraan, who has maintained a close relationship with Slot for many years. Despite beginning the campaign as the defending champion, Liverpool's title defence is already appearing fragile following five defeats in six Premier League matches, the most recent being a 3-0 hammering by Manchester City.
The Reds have appeared disjointed throughout the season, with a squad overhaul during the summer leaving them lacking in cohesion and rhythm. Morale has suffered as well, as demonstrated by their underwhelming performance at the Etihad on Sunday.
However, Van der Kraan maintains there's no cause for alarm - particularly as Liverpool's poor run doesn't appear to have dented Slot's self-assurance.
"I am looking at him in every interview and on the touchline to try and discover if there is a change in his behavior, character or actions... and there isn't the slightest change," he told the Daily Mail.
"He is calm, composed, absolutely not in panic mode, exactly how I know him. And I do not expect him to panic either, or to change. This guy is so confident about what he is doing. This makes me think he will turn it around. I don't have doubts."
He added: "The only managers I know with the same self-confidence are [Yohan] Cruyff and [Pep] Guardiola. I worked [as a soccer writer] closely with Cruyff in the 1980s and 1990s and could not believe how cool he was under any circumstances.
"It [a rough patch] happened to Cruyff with Ajax and Barca, it happened to Pep and it happened to Arne. Don't forget Arne is a massive fan of the Cruyff school.
"They just accept these moments, however for Arne it is going on too long of course now. That is what makes it tense. But he won't change a thing."
Slot appeared to settle into Premier League management with remarkable ease. During his debut campaign, Liverpool suffered only a single league defeat before April, by which point the championship was virtually wrapped up.
From the outset, he produced extraordinary quality and reliability, despite inheriting Jurgen Klopp's imposing legacy, investing barely anything in fresh talent, and managing significant contract uncertainties surrounding three key figures: Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
This makes the current season's difficulties all the more puzzling. Liverpool kicked off with five consecutive league triumphs, though four required dramatic late winners that frequently concealed underwhelming displays.
A sequence of four straight league losses ensued, and while successes against Aston Villa and Real Madrid provided a brief respite, the comprehensive defeat to City thrust the Reds back into turmoil.
However, if Van der Kraan's evaluation is correct, the crisis shouldn't persist for much longer.
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