Major changes occurred at Liverpool ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
The hierarchy at Anfield underwent a major revamp, which was followed by the departure of long-term manager Jurgen Klopp.
Upon the arrival of Arne Slot, the Dutch coach would bring in coaches of his own, and amongst them was former Everton star John Heitinga.
The 41-year-old spent time with Ajax and West Ham prior to moving to Liverpool as Slot is a big admirer of Heitinga’s work.
The Dutch coach has now been handed the opportunity of a lifetime with the Premier League leaders as the Slot’s assistant will lead the Reds into battle on Wednesday night against Newcastle.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot receives two-match ban
The aftermath of Liverpool’s draw with Everton saw the clash descend into chaos after an incident between Curtis Jones and Abdoulaye Doucoure.
The scenes after the full-time at Goodison Park would not only see the two players sent off but also Slot and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff.
After some deliberation, Paul Joyce reports that Slot will serve a two-match touchline ban beginning against Newcastle United as punishment for confronting match officials following the Everton game.
His assistant Hulshoff has also been banned for two matches, which leaves Heitinga in charge of the Reds’ next two games against the Magpies and Southampton.
Arne Slot will serve a two-match touchline ban beginning tonight v Newcastle United as punishment for confronting match officials following Everton game. Also fined £70,000. Assistant Sipke Hulshoff also banned for two matches and fined £7,000.
Everton and Liverpool fined £65,000…— paul joyce (@_pauljoyce)
February 26, 2025
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Heitinga has only ever been a manager of a team when he was at Ajax, where he took temporary charge of the Dutch giants in 2023.
The 41-year-old is highly rated in the industry, evident in West Brom’s interest in Heitinga at the end of 2024.
Heitinga is not only held in high esteem by clubs but also by players he has coached in the past as one Premier League star has labelled the Dutchman as the ‘best coach I have had’.
West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus is a big fan of John Heitinga
Liverpool will go into the Newcastle and Southampton games with all the work done by Slot in the lead-up to the clashes, however, it will be left to Heitinga to make in-game tweaks.
This will be a big moment for the Dutch coach and the Reds assistant is more than capable of going off the words of West Ham star Mohammed Kudus.
| Games | Wins | Draws | Defeats | Points per game |
| 22 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 2.05 |
“I felt very good under Heitinga,” Kudus told Voetbal having worked with the 41-year-old at Ajax. “He is the best coach I have had at Ajax.
“Apart from the training aspect, I also hold him in high regard in terms of standards and values. Personally, I would have liked to have worked with him longer. He is a top trainer and I really appreciated his efforts to make the players better at the time.
“When he took over for the rest of the season [at Ajax], he immediately showed impact. Things got better.”