Regardless of whether you believe Liverpool’s performance against Everton deserved all three points or not, the club will surely feel aggrieved by several controversial decisions from referee Michael Oliver in the final Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park.
From the questionable extension of stoppage time to a missed foul on Mo Salah that could have sealed the game and a borderline shove on Ibrahima Konaté in the buildup to Everton’s equalizer, Oliver’s officiating drew the ire of Liverpool’s supporters after the match.
But one of Oliver’s most consequential decisions came after the final whistle when he showed red cards to Liverpool boss Arne Slot and his top assistant, Sipke Hulshoff, in their post-match handshake.
While it’s unclear what the pair said to Oliver in their exchange, one can only hope they made it count if they were penalized this harshly.
Liverpool are perhaps a bit fortuitous that their forthcoming match on Sunday is against 17th place Wolves at Anfield, a fixture that provides a strong opportunity to pick up all three points no matter who manages the team; but given that Slot and Hulshoff can only watch, who is John Heitinga, their projected manager against Wolverhampton?
Next Dutchman up
Like many elite coaches, Heitinga enjoyed a very solid playing career, making his biggest impact in the top flight of Dutch football as a center back for Ajax.
Heitinga won the Eredivisie title in the 2003-2004 season with the club, and his footballing career in the Netherlands culminated in a Dutch Footballer of the Year win for the 2007-2008 season.
He also has big game experience, playing in the 2010 World Cup Final for the Netherlands against Spain.
The Dutchman went on to feature for some clubs in Europe’s traditional top five leagues such as Atletico Madrid, Hertha BSC, and, perhaps ironically, Everton.
After hanging his boots up, his coaching career began back at Ajax, working with their famous academy program before taking over as de Godenzonen’s interim first team head coach in 2022-2023, steering them to a third place finish.
A former foe of Slot’s?
Given Slot’s previous stint coaching in the Eredivisie, he actually met Heitinga in a clash between Feyenoord and Ajax, with Heitinga’s team earning a 2-1 victory over Slot’s in the KNVB Cup.
Fascinatingly, a bit of a mental chess match between the two managers took place before the game, with each trying to gain a tactical edge over the other.
“In crosses and set pieces, there may be some opportunities for us. Ajax are usually very offensive, so every coach will point out that there is a lot of space in transition. But that’s something that Ajax are improving on,” Slot said of De Amsterdammers, in response to Heitinga’s own comment about knowing Feyenoord’s weaknesses.
"John Heitinga has done a great job since taking over at Ajax, but we have been doing well too," Slot added.
Given that Slot was indeed outcoached by Heitinga in that meeting, perhaps it’s no wonder that the Liverpool manager wanted this talented football mind to make the journey to Anfield with him as a memver of his staff.
Praise from the boss
In fact, Slot went a step further than just giving Heitinga praise, saying that “Liverpool is now profiting” from Ajax’s decision to not elevate him as their full-time manager, adding that “Apparently they did not realize in Amsterdam that they had an excellent coach in-house.”
Sure, this could be a coy remark from Slot given his previous rivalry with the Dutch side, but it appears that Arne legitimately believes in Heitinga’s coaching aptitude, a very positive sign ahead of Sunday’s meeting against Wolves.
Heitinga’s influence at Liverpool has not gone unnoticed by outside observers either, with several outlets pointing out the subtle tactical adjustments Slot’s staff has made during their excellent first season with the club.
This situation feels reminiscent of when Pep Liijnders served as Liverpool head coach in instances of Jürgen Klopp being unavailable, perhaps most famously when he oversaw a 4-1 win against Everton in December 2021 after Klopp and other members of staff tested positive for COVID-19.
All Premier League fixtures present a unique challenge, and while facing Wolves at home might not seem like a daunting task on paper, Heitinga appears ready to step in and guide the Reds during a critical stretch of the season in which every game matters.