Arne Slot could call upon the unique experience of assistant Giovanni van Bronckhorst ahead of Liverpool’s first away game of the Champions League against Galatasaray.
Van Bronckhorst was a surprise replacement for John Heitinga this summer, taking up the position of assistant coach after a number of head coach roles elsewhere.
His most recent job was in charge of Bestikas – one of Galatasaray’s closest rivals – and though his time in Istanbul only lasted six months, he gained valuable experience of Turkish football.
That could be particularly useful when preparing Liverpool for their trip to RAMS Park, with Slot acknowledging Van Bronckhorst’s unique value in this tie.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Monday, however, the Dutchman insisted all of his staff have had an input in plans for Galatasaray.
“He’s part of the setup if we discuss and talk about the team we face, if that is Palace or Everton or Atletico Madrid, or in this situation Galatasaray,” Slot explained.
“He has knowledge of Turkish football, he knows these players – some of them – that we are going to face maybe better than the rest of the staff does.
“Because we’ve not worked in this league, we’ve not played against them.
“But in modern football there are so many videos, you can watch so many games, that every manager – even if you haven’t worked here – knows a lot about the other team.
“So yes, we’ve Gio as we’ve used the other assistant coaches as well.”
Van Bronckhorst’s experience of Galatasaray
Van Bronckhorst was appointed Besiktas head coach ahead of the 2024/25 campaign but was relieved of his duties by the end of November.
Despite that he still claimed a trophy during his short spell in charge: beating Galatasaray 5-0 in the Turkish Super Cup, which is the equivalent of the Community Shield.
“That was a very special evening for him. So special,” Slot continued.
“He’s known for winning a lot of trophies, Gio, in Holland and he did this here as well.”
Van Bronckhorst faced Galatasaray once more before his departure, with Besiktas losing that Super Lig clash 2-1 after goals from Davinson Sanchez and Victor Osimhen.
Twelve of the players from those two games are still part of the Galatasaray squad while manager Okan Buruk has been in his position since 2022.
Many of the systems and patterns will therefore remain the same, and though Van Bronckhorst was unfortunate in his time in Turkey he can still be useful as Liverpool ready themselves for RAMS Park.