Sipke Hulshoff has had a quiet influence on Liverpool’s success since his decision to follow Arne Slot to Anfield – so who exactly is the Dutchman with the clipboard?
Every Batman needs his Robin.
On the side of the pitch and in front of the media, it is Arne Slot who is the leader tasked with bringing strength, direction and success to Liverpool.
Akin to Gotham’s Bat-Signal, it is the name of the Dutchman in the light, called to build on the superior foundations laid by Jurgen Klopp.
Yet it is not a responsibility he bears alone. Always next to him – even when he is not in the public eye – is Sipke Hulshoff.
The 47-year-old compatriot joined Liverpool as their first assistant coach alongside Slot, continuing the role he had filled so brilliantly at Feyenoord between 2022 and 2024, when the club won only its second Eredivisie title of this century before backing it up with the Dutch Cup.
Like head physical performance coach Ruben Peeters, he’s a key figure who has gone somewhat under the radar, with fans naturally lionizing the main man wearing that superhero cape.
Although he did not have a professional playing career, Hulshoff has 26 years of coaching at various levels to his name.
Now he can often be seen in the dugout with clipboard in hand and plays a prominent role on the training pitch. Yet he earned his stripes through youth roles at FC Groningen and Cambuur and brief managerial positions at Red Bull Ghana and Qatar, before eventually beginning his seamless relationship with Slot as his assistant at Cambuur.
After the collaboration was disrupted by Slot’s move to AZ Alkmaar and Hulshoff’s assistant position at FC Volendam, the two became acquainted again at Feyenoord. Initially Hulshoff managed the U21s, but within a year he had officially joined the coaching set-up of Slot’s first team.
Some elements just fit together perfectly and the Slot-Hulshoff brew is just that.
Liverpool field coach
An essential ingredient that has developed during their ten years of collaboration is the mutual trust between them. Slot itself has even stated that “because we’ve been working together for so long, we both know exactly what we want when it comes to a game model and playing style.”
The two not only get along well, but share similar football philosophies, such as the importance of overloading parts of the pitch when in possession and winning the ball back quickly when they are not.
This means that they can develop ideas together and challenge each other equally. It is not that Slot behaves like Hulshoff’s micro-managing superior.
This evolving confidence from Slot that Hulshoff understands his principles has now manifested itself at Liverpool as the latter has become the ‘field’ coach.
In other words, Hulshoff is the main voice at training and plays a key role in player development.
His role includes working with players one-on-one and in small groups, as well as supporting analysis away from the training pitch using video clips. It is reported that Hulshoff will be the one to do the opposition analysis and while Slot will always lead the meetings, his number 2 will also be asked to take part in the post-match debriefings.
This recent Hulshoff project started in Rotterdam. Even when he was still officially U21 manager, he was invited by Slot twice a week to help oversee first-team training. Then, once promoted to the senior staff, he gradually began to prepare more and more parts of the training based on Slot’s vision.
In the same way that a company CEO can discover and nurture a talent by gradually increasing their responsibilities, Slot has helped empower a motivated colleague to leave it up to him to execute as he pleases.
It is a ‘watching brief’ approach of successful managers of the past, such as Sir Alex Ferguson, who was known to have his coaches take care of the training sessions so that he could properly assess his players technically, physically and mentally.
In addition to being dedicated, organized and very open to innovation, Hulshoff is tactically astute. In addition to his leadership at the AXA Training Center, he can support Slot in identifying problems in a game.
He is undoubtedly a factor in Slot’s ability to be proactive in matches – an essential trait for any top coach.
Given his key responsibilities, it will come as no surprise that Hulshoff is not only excellent at training players individually, but also at building strong relationships with them. He can discover and develop specific areas for improvement offensively and defensively and gain the player’s trust, just as he did with his boss.
It cannot be underestimated how important it is for team morale that players feel comfortable talking honestly with the coaching team, and not just Slot.
More Krawietz than Lijnders
This combination of expertise is perhaps the reason why Dutch manager Ronald Koeman asked Hulshoff to strengthen his staff after just six months as an assistant at Feyenoord.
The man from Leeuwarden in the north of the Netherlands impressed and would have stayed longer than just the twelve games if he had not agreed to Slot’s call to follow him to Merseyside in 2024.
That decision in itself underlines the strength of his involvement in Slot’s project.
It should also be noted that this experience in Oranje has helped him strengthen ties with the Dutch contingent in the squad of Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch, and will obviously have further smoothed the early months of Jeremy Frimpong’s time at the club.
Looking ahead, many may assume that a man of Hulshoff’s talent and experience will eventually blink at a suitable headman role at a club, as Mikel Arteta did at Manchester City or, closer to home, both Pepijn Lijnders and John Heitinga at Liverpool.
However, his loyalty to Slot could keep him at Anfield for many years to come – with their relationship more akin to that of Klopp and Peter Krawietz.
Hulshoff is said to be a man who clearly understands where his strengths lie, which has held back any aspirations for leadership positions elsewhere for the time being.
For Liverpool fans, the Dutch influence on the club’s recent performances – from key players to the manager in the dugout – is clearly visible.
Yet success isn’t just about the performers on stage in the glow of the spotlight. It’s also about those backstage who help make it all happen.
In his early career, then at Feyenoord and now at Liverpool, there was one man at Slot’s side.
If Liverpool are to defend their Premier League title and win even more trophies, Hulshoff will undoubtedly be crucial to the cause.
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