4 days ago
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New Liverpool coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who played a key role in helping Arsenal deny Liverpool the Premier League title, has expressed his hopes that the Reds will enjoy even greater success in the coming years.
The former Netherlands defender has spoken about his first experience at Anfield. In December 2001, it was second versus third in the Premier League, with Van Bronckhorst starting for Arsenal as both teams were vying for the title.
However, the Dutchman’s appearance was cut short after just 35 minutes. Having already received a yellow card for a challenge on Sami Hyypia, he was shown a second caution soon after for going down under pressure from Stephane Henchoz inside the box.
“I remember I was sent off in the first half... I had one tackle or duel, which was rewarded with a yellow card,” the 50-year-old recalls while in conversation with the club's website.
“The second... well, actually I slipped and the ref thought it was a dive. It was a bit controversial, but still you cannot appeal [the decision]. I do remember the game, we won it in the end.”
Arsenal went on to win that match 2-1 despite being down to 10 players and ultimately secured the Premier League title at the end of the 2001-02 season, earning Van Bronckhorst a winner’s medal.
Now, the Dutchman is looking to replicate that success in his new role with Liverpool.
Although Van Bronckhorst had only faced Liverpool as an opponent before, he believed he had gathered enough insight to understand the kind of club he was joining.
“When Arne called me about joining his staff, it was part of my decision to come but also a big part of it was the club,” he said.
“As a player and coach, I’ve always been involved in clubs that are well-known throughout the world, were always competing for the top prizes.
"As a player with Arsenal, Barcelona and, of course, the national team, Rangers, and Feyenoord in Holland, so it’s the environment I had all my life as a player.
“I feel I have the same experience with the size of the club Liverpool is, with how it stands in society. It is very important for the city, it is a club that is well connected within the community and I think that’s also really, really nice.
"I have been here now for a few weeks, but I could sense how big the club is straight away – including when we were in Hong Kong and Tokyo. You could feel Liverpool is well loved there and how many fans we have across the world, even to watch our training sessions.
"Once the season starts with a big game against Crystal Palace and then the start of the Premier League, you can see everyone wants to give everything every day to be as well prepared as we can be for the start."
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