- Rio Ferdinand insisted that Arne Slot is not the coach of the season so far
- The Man United legend gave Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca the chance to win the award.
- LISTEN NOW: It's all starting! New line-up, some new faces, but optimism has faded at Old Trafford
Rio Ferdinand clashed with Owen Hargreaves over his Premier League Manager of the Season selections.
The former Manchester United teammates fell out in the corners of Enzo Maresca and Arne Slot, and came to blows over which boss is most deserving of the award so far.
Liverpool and Chelsea sit first and third in the table respectively, while Slot's men maintain a healthy six-point lead over Arsenal in second, and still have a game in hand.
Speaking on his YouTube channel Rio Fernando presentsThe six-time Premier League winner argued in favor of Maresca, citing the Blues' impressive turnaround from last season, where they finished a disappointing sixth.
He said: 'It's not a big difference. I simply think that Maresca has come in and taken a team out of being a circus, a calamity…'
Hargreaves quickly interrupted Ferdinand to give the Chelsea manager credit, but gave a direct answer, arguing that Liverpool's domestic and European form speaks for itself.
Rio Ferdinand advocated for Maresca against Slot for the Manager of the Season award
Hargreaves argued that Slot deserves the award for Liverpool's total dominance
'He has done incredible. But what I'm saying is that if you are the best in the league, the best team in the Champions League, that's Arne. Not even one (question),' he said.
'No, no, no, I think it's great. But what I am saying is that the level of change within the clubs is very different. (Maresca) has closed that margin more,' Fernando responded.
'(Slot) has had a wonderfully settled ship. Chelsea's ownership is so fragmented that it appears in the newspapers every other day.
'(Slot) has had a new sports director but he is not unstable. It is still a stable environment. There is no noise. When Klopp was there, there was no noise.
'I'm fighting Maresca's corner. He's had more fires to put out than probably half the league. And it has crushed them.
“It's my program, my views,” he added sarcastically.
“Give Rio some water,” Hargreaves laughed.
Slot has racked up some impressive results in his brief tenure on Merseyside, breaking some long-standing club and league records.
The Dutchman has won 22 of his 26 games as Liverpool manager so far – a win rate of 84 per cent.
Only Liverpool (40) have scored more goals than Chelsea (38) in the Premier League this season.
His team won 14 of their first 16 league games, making him the most successful Premier League manager in history in as many games.
Additionally, Liverpool won their first six away games of the season under the Dutchman, a first for any manager in the club's 132-year history.
However, goalkeeper Alisson Becker said this current Reds team is not a patch on Jurgen Klopp's all-conquering side that won the Champions League and Premier League.
Asked if this season compares to 2019-20, when they won their first league title in three decades, Brazil's number one said: “I don't think it's too similar, they're two different teams.” Some players still play on the team, but we have a slightly different style now.
'More possession of the ball, before it was very simple: a lot of transition, a lot of intensity. That team was really special, we achieved great things, it was the first Premier League title for this club in a long time. We also won the Champions League together.”