Liverpool supporters already know John Heitinga for his time taking part in at Everton, however the 40-year-old is now a coach and has joined Arne Slot‘s Reds.
Seven years teaching at Ajax, rising by means of the youth ranks to turn out to be caretaker supervisor, led to Heitinga’s transfer to West Ham in 2023, the place he grew to become assistant supervisor.
With David Moyes leaving this summer season, although, Heitinga moved on too and is now becoming a member of Liverpool’s teaching employees as an assistant coach.
Right here, Dutch soccer journalist Elko Born (@Elko_B) discusses Heitinga, his teaching profession and what he can convey to Slot’s employees.
What do you suppose attracted Slot & Liverpool to Heitinga?
I believe it’s necessary that he’s nonetheless fairly younger, and that his taking part in years are nonetheless not that way back.
Clearly, he is aware of England and the Premier League from his expertise as a participant as nicely. I believe that’s very, essential, his expertise in that regard. He is aware of the town of Liverpool as nicely.
I do suppose that it was perhaps not his tactical expertise as a coach that satisfied Slot to get him, however I do suppose that Slot might be impressed by the way in which he is ready to discuss to gamers to construct relationships with them, to narrate to them.
He’s nonetheless fairly younger however I believe on a human stage, Heitinga is kind of proficient and it’s an necessary ability to have as a supervisor.
And that, mixed along with his expertise as a participant within the Premier League, I believe that’s a really beneficial ability set to have on board at Liverpool.
How did he rise to turn out to be Ajax’s caretaker supervisor?
I believe on the time, as a senior participant he did take up a little bit of a management position within the Ajax squad round his closing stretch at Ajax.
He began working within the Ajax youth academy fairly rapidly after retiring as a participant, so I believe that ambition has all the time been fairly apparent for him.
For a very long time, it appeared like he was going to turn out to be Ajax supervisor sometime ultimately, and clearly he was caretaker boss for a short time. However ultimately, it didn’t fairly work out for him the way in which he had hoped.
His stint as Ajax supervisor, as a caretaker, it wasn’t that dangerous. He grew to become the caretaker boss in a horrible season for Ajax, considered one of their worst seasons ever.
When he got here in as caretaker, he did handle to convey one thing again for the primary group, get a number of outcomes and regular the ship for Ajax that yr.
However ultimately, it wasn’t sufficient to persuade the Ajax management to maintain him on as first group supervisor.
May this then be a stepping stone prefer it was for Pep Lijnders?
I’m undecided but. It might be a stepping stone for him. He all the time needed to turn out to be Ajax supervisor however when he did turn out to be Ajax supervisor as a caretaker it didn’t work out as nicely for him as he had hoped.
It should have been such an enormous skilled disappointment for him. He hasn’t stated a lot about it, however I ponder how he feels personally now?
Does he really feel like, ‘OK, perhaps I’m too younger to be a primary group supervisor, perhaps I would like extra expertise as an assistant someplace earlier than taking over that senior management position in a membership?’
Or perhaps did he uncover for himself, if not for anybody else, that perhaps being the primary group supervisor and the man in cost doesn’t go well with him as a lot as he would have appreciated?
Possibly he’s extra of a coach, and perhaps he must be an assistant someplace, maybe in Liverpool. And perhaps that’s only a job that fits his ability set higher.
What are a few of his traits as a coach?
I do suppose he’s very energetic on the sidelines – he’s fairly a passionate man. He’s solely comparatively just lately retired from soccer.
He’s nonetheless very a lot emotionally concerned with what his gamers are doing, which I believe can clearly be an excellent factor for a coach or a supervisor.
It’s a mode that fits him, to be very concerned, to be emotionally concerned as nicely. I believe that’s his power as a coach. I believe he’s excellent at regarding gamers, at constructing relationships with the group and a squad of gamers.
I believe the gamers at Ajax appreciated him on a private stage very a lot, so this relationship aspect of teaching, I believe that’s the place his abilities actually lie and perhaps not within the extra tactical facet of being a soccer supervisor.
Thanks once more to Elko Born for his perception on Heitinga’s teaching profession. You may observe Elko on X @Elko_B.
