Being a Premier League manager is a draining job, one that is all-consuming and diverts countless hours away from family and friends. But even the most intense coaches must find ways to switch off.
For Sir Alex Ferguson, his love of horse racing offered a welcome tonic; Arsene Wenger holds an interest in politics, Pep Guardiola is a lover of golf and fine wines and Jose Mourinho boasts an impressive (and expensive) collection of cars.
For Arne Slot, his passion, much like Jurgen Klopp’s, is found in unwinding with another sport. Padel’s growing popularity among soccer players and coaches is perhaps most prevalent at Liverpool.
The club built the first court in the city at its Melwood training base after Klopp and his coaching team discovered a love for the sport during a trip to Tenerife. When the first team relocated to Kirkby, the court, of course, followed.
“The game has been a nice distraction from our daily routine. And yet, sometimes we come up with the best ideas to solve issues during these games,” ex-Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders once revealed.
Liverpool isn’t alone in adopting padel, the fastest-growing sport in the UK, with the number of courts rising from 50 to around 750 since 2020.
For Slot, it’s more than just a way to relax. So seriously does the Dutchman take his commitment to padel, within months of starting at Liverpool he decided to hire a specialist coach to help him improve. Slot reached out to Alberto Cubero via a mutual connection and he was soon tasked with designing an individual training program for the Liverpool head coach.
(Image: Getty Images)
The Spaniard regularly travels from Manchester to Kirkby to work on technique, positioning and tactics with Slot, something the Liverpool boss can relate with.
“I think he’s a really nice person,” Cubero told Liverpool.com in an exclusive interview. “He’s a really good player; he has really good technique. He told me he was playing regularly the last six years, so he really loves to play padel and he’s really interested in improving.
“It’s an amazing experience,” Cubero, a devout soccer fan added. “When they told me [about Slot’s interest], I accepted because it would be amazing to go there, to the facilities, see the atmosphere, know them because they are professional coaches. Everything is positive. An amazing experience.”
Cubero was first introduced to padel by his father, who was among the first wave of players to defect from tennis. After coaching the sport in Malaga, Cubero moved to the UK in 2019 and combined his love of playing padel with architecture. He was once ranked 27th in the country but often had to travel from Manchester to Huddersfield or Middlesbrough just to train.
Things have changed now. He’s set the architecture aside. “At some point I decided ‘I can’t do both things at the same time’. So just going for padel. That is my passion; it’s what I really enjoy.”
That has neatly coincided with padel’s growing popularity – when Cubero began at Manchester’s Pure Padel, he was the first coach in the north west of England. That the sport is on the rise in the UK was an added bonus for Slot when he upped sticks and moved from the Netherlands last year.
But how does coaching an elite coach differ from regular players? “From my point of view, he knows very well what it means to compete and the mental aspect it entails, so my job is more focused on guiding him to improve technically and tactically so he can better exploit his qualities on the padel court and with his partner,” said Cubero.
“Other players without his background do need to convey to them what it means to compete and the mental process it entails to be able to win games. In this case, we ask him to focus more on technical and tactical aspects to develop his game.”
Klopp’s decision to leave Liverpool last year was motivated out of fatigue and a desire to step away from such an intense job. It’s something Slot will be able to relate with, even if the fire still burns brightly with the ex-Feyenoord manager. Ensuring that remains the case could determine his longevity in the role. So, inadvertently, Cubero might help the Liverpool boss maintain optimum levels in the years to come.
“He has a big responsibility, a lot of meetings. But at the end, everyone is a human. Everyone needs time off to disconnect from the job and have a passion or a hobby they love. They want to improve, be the best version possible. I think it’s time off to disconnect from the responsibility for a moment.”
Cubero works not just with Slot but his coaching staff, John Heitinga, Ruben Peeters and Sipke Hulshoff. As anyone with knowledge of the inner workings of a soccer club knows, a little bit of healthy competition never hurts.
“I think for him [Slot] it’s a hobby. But when you do something, you want to try your best, no? And understand the game, try your best, or try to get your best version. But I think something relaxed, like a hobby, just to have fun. He loves the game, has time with his friends and try to do as best you can. They are competitive, but in a friendly way.”
Like Slot, Cubero is always on the lookout for the next top talent and is welcoming new players at his club in Manchester – which is often frequented by Marcus Rashford and Ryan Giggs.
Interested in receiving coaching tips from one of the country’s best padel players? Contact him via Instagram or his email address cubero.thepadelcoach@gmail.com.
