“Rio Ferdinand Overlooks Arne Slot in Premier League Manager of the Season Contender List”
“Rio Ferdinand Ignores Arne Slot in Premier League Manager of the Season Picks”
Rio Ferdinand has overlooked Liverpool’s Arne Slot when naming his Premier League Manager of the Season so far, opting instead for another head coach. The former Manchester United defender made his selections during a recent video on his YouTube channel, where he shared his mid-season awards and Team of the Season picks.
When the conversation turned to the best manager of the season, Ferdinand’s former teammate Owen Hargreaves was quick to mention Slot, who has done an excellent job replacing Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, with Liverpool currently six points clear at the top. However, Ferdinand had a different choice for the managerial accolade.
Ferdinand backed Enzo Maresca, who has made an impressive start at Chelsea, as his pick for Manager of the Season. After replacing Mauricio Pochettino in the summer, Maresca has revitalized Chelsea and is on track to guide them back to the Champions League for the first time since the 2022-23 season.
Ferdinand explained that Maresca deserved the honor more than Slot, citing the greater challenges he faced at Chelsea compared to Slot’s work at Liverpool. While Slot inherited a solid squad from Klopp, Maresca had to clean up a “calamity” at Stamford Bridge.
“It’s not a big difference [between Slot and Maresca],” Ferdinand said. “I just think Maresca came in and took a team that was a circus. The level of change at the clubs is very different. [Maresca] has made a bigger impact. Slot has had a wonderfully settled environment, with no instability. There’s no noise. When Klopp was there, it was stable. Maresca’s had to put out more fires than probably half the league, and he’s done it well.”
Chelsea’s turnaround under Maresca, an inexperienced head coach, has exceeded expectations, with the Blues now part of the chasing pack behind Liverpool at the top of the table. Despite this success, Maresca has remained cautious, insisting his team is not yet ready to challenge for the top spot.
