Dirk Kuyt interview: ‘For Arne to win the league in his first season… no one will forget it'

New York Times

22-03-2025

Dirk Kuyt knows what the Premier League title means to Liverpool supporters.
The former Netherlands forward spent six years at Anfield desperately trying to help end the club's long wait for the top-flight crown.
The big prize eluded him before he said his goodbyes in the summer of 2012. He watched from afar when Jurgen Klopp finally broke the 30-year drought in 2020, but lamented how they could not celebrate the achievement properly due to the pandemic.
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It is why Kuyt chuckled this week after hearing talk about Liverpool being set to have 'only' the Premier League title to show for this season following defeats against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last 16 and Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final.
Arne Slot's side are 12 points clear of Arsenal and need a maximum of 16 points from their remaining nine league matches to be crowned champions.
'It will be absolutely massive,' Kuyt tells The Athletic. 'For Arne to win the Premier League in his first season in charge will be something no one will ever forget.
'It took such a long time for Liverpool to win the championship. And then when it happened last time it was a bad time for people all over the world, but especially for Liverpool supporters because they couldn't enjoy the success properly.
'We've all seen the parades around the city after Champions League wins. But to win the Premier League I feel will mean even more to the people. It will be crazy both in the stadium and around the city.
'Going out of the Champions League and losing the final was disappointing but it means there's now complete focus on the Premier League and giving everything so they can lift that trophy at Anfield on May 25.'
For Kuyt, there is a deep sense of pride about Slot's impact at Anfield. He was convinced Liverpool had made a shrewd choice when Slot was appointed as Klopp's successor, having seen his work close up during his three-year reign at Feyenoord.
Kuyt, who enjoyed two spells as a player with the Rotterdam-based club, spent some time behind the scenes shadowing Slot at Feyenoord as he made the move into coaching.
'I was really happy when Arne joined Liverpool because I knew what he was capable of after doing so well at Feyenoord,' he says.
'But nobody expected it to go this well, besides maybe Arne himself. He's managed to build on Jurgen's achievements and do it his way. Yes, he inherited a good squad but how he got the team playing the way he wants so quickly was unbelievable. He's made Premier League games look easy at times.
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'Everyone was saying that whoever came next after Jurgen would face such a difficult time. It's not easy to replace a legend. We know how tough it was for Jurgen in the beginning to get Liverpool playing like he wanted.
'But Arne managed that in a very short time. When I watch Liverpool sometimes I think I'm watching his AZ or Feyenoord teams from back in the day. It's one thing doing it at those clubs compared to getting some of the best players in the world to believe in how he wants to play.
'In the Champions League he was unlucky to face a team as good as PSG in their first knockout round. It was a top game decided by small details.'
The Dutch influence at Anfield has never been stronger. Captain Virgil van Dijk has been a rock defensively, with Kuyt keen to see the talismanic centre-back remain at Liverpool beyond the end of his contract this summer.
'Virgil leads in such a great way and he's playing at his best level,' he adds. 'He takes care of his own performances and he's also there for others on and off the pitch.
'It wasn't easy for him coming back from a bad injury and he had some criticism, but this season he's been immense and I'm enjoying every minute of watching him play for Liverpool.
'He is turning 34 soon (July 8) but players now can go on longer than those of my generation. It's the same with Mo (Salah), who turns 33 in June. Everyone who likes Liverpool wants these players to sign new contracts tomorrow but we don't know the details. All I can say is I hope that soon we get the green light that they will be staying at Liverpool as they're still among the best players in the world.'
Ryan Gravenberch, who withdrew from the Netherlands squad for their Nations League tie with Spain due to a fitness concern, has been showered with praise since being trusted by Slot to play the holding midfield role.
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The former Ajax academy player had struggled to secure regular game time under Klopp last season following a difficult spell at Bayern Munich.
'People in Holland thought the step to Bayern was maybe a bit early for him to such a big club,' Kuyt says.
'But it also helped him to experience the negative part of not playing as much as he wanted. People always think players develop most when they achieve success. But people get even stronger when times are hard.
'Look at someone like (current Bayern Munich boss) Vincent Kompany. He got relegated with Burnley and see where he is now in his career.
'Gravenberch will have learned a lot from the experiences he had at such a young age. Arne knew him well from his time in Holland and has managed to get the best. He's still only 22 and sometimes people forget that. It's been a joy to watch him.'
And then there is Cody Gakpo, who has been Liverpool's second-most potent attacker this season behind Salah with 16 goals in all competitions.
'Cody needed some time to adjust after arriving from PSV but he's shown this season how important he is with the goals he scored,' Kuyt says. 'That position on the left, cutting inside to shoot, is what he really likes and it's where he's best. It's great to see all the Dutch boys performing at such a high level.'
Kuyt, who scored 71 goals in 285 games for Liverpool, has his hands full as manager of Beerschot in the Belgian Pro League.
He led the Antwerp-based club to promotion last season but it has been a struggle at a higher level. They finished bottom in the regular season with just three wins out of 30 and are now preparing for the relegation round, when they will play home and away against the three teams above them.
'I'm really enjoying it,' he says. 'Nobody expected us to win the championship last season but we did it. It was a huge achievement for the club and the players.
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'I decided to sign a new contract to stay on in the top division. It sounds strange but we're doing really well in the circumstances. We have the lowest budget in the league and we've been unlucky at times, especially with VAR! We got a draw against Club Brugge and we won against Anderlecht.
'It's great experience for me as a manager. Although there's a big chance we get relegated, we'll give everything we have until the end. While it's still possible, we have to keep believing.'
Kuyt is returning to Merseyside to play for Liverpool Legends against Chelsea Legends at Anfield on Saturday (3pm kick-off UK time). A few thousand tickets remain on sale, with all funds raised supporting the work of the LFC Foundation.
Sir Kenny Dalglish will manage a Liverpool squad that also includes Steven Gerrard, Peter Crouch, Sami Hyypia and Jerzy Dudek.
Last season the foundation helped around 127,000 people across the region and aims to be supporting 500,000 people per year by 2030. The eight previous legends matches at Anfield raised more than £7.5million ($9.7m).
'I'm really looking forward to it. Anfield always feels like home to me,' Kuyt adds.
'To be back in the dressing room with the lads, chat with the people on the streets and play in front of a full house… it's what I love to do. The best days of my life were as a football player and once a year, I still get the chance to play at the best place to play football.
'The cause we're doing it for is really important. Liverpool is a big example to clubs across the world in terms of giving back to the community. The foundation helps so many people in need and it makes me happy to be a small part of this.
'It's about time I scored another one in front of the Kop so I hope Sir Kenny will give me some minutes. I'm ready for 90 but knowing Kenny he will only give me 45!'