Paul Kennedy

When Liverpool play Southampton on Saturday, coach Arne Slot won’t be on the touchline directing his team as per usual, but will instead be watching from the stands.

This isn’t because he fancies a comfy seat for the match or wants to see the game from a different viewpoint, but because he’s serving the second of his two-match touchline ban.

Slot was sent off after the final whistle at the conclusion of Liverpool's 2-2 draw at Goodison Park last month.

He was also hit with a fine of around US$84,000, a decent chunk of change. 

This week it was revealed exactly what Slot said to the referee at the final whistle, and while the powers that be here at Việt Nam News wouldn’t let me repeat it word for word in print, it’s safe to say the language used was fairly colourful.

But after reading what he said, or rather what referee Michael Oliver said he said, I’m left wondering was it really that big of a deal?

I’ve watched clips of the encounter on YouTube, and to be fair to the Dutchman, he wasn’t exactly over aggressive.

Slot wasn’t in the face of Oliver, screaming and spitting obscenities at him. He wasn’t gesticulating wildly to get his point across.

He looked quite calm to be fair, shook the hand of the referee, and basically expressed his disappointment.

Slot himself admitted he lost his temper, and if he could rewind and replay, probably wouldn’t have used some of the words he chose.

But was it that bad? What he said is nothing more than industrial language that’s used in probably most workplaces every day all over the world.

Since arriving at Liverpool, Slot has, it seems, brought calmness to the chaotically-brilliant squad left behind by Jurgen Klopp.

And while it’s so far, so very good for Liverpool, I was actually pleased to see Slot lose his rag, even though he did so in a very calm way.

It showed that despite his calm persona, the former Feyenoord manager does have a fiery side to him that we’ve not really seen before.

It might not be quite Klopp-esque, and I doubt we’ll see him sprinting down the touchline anytime soon or running on the pitch after his team scores to give the goalie a bear-hug, but he’s clearly a man with fire in his belly. — VNS