Context: Liverpool’s Title Ambitions and Closing the Gap with Manchester City
Liverpool finished nine points behind Manchester City last season and 22 points the season prior, a gap that head coach Arne Slot acknowledges needs to be addressed. As discussions continue following the 2-2 draw between City and Arsenal, which many believe highlights the two title contenders for this season, Slot remains focused on his own team’s progress. Despite a strong start to the season, with Liverpool currently sitting in second place just one point behind City, Slot is unconcerned about whether his team is being underestimated in the title race.
Arne Slot on Closing the Gap with Manchester City:
Slot: “The situation is Manchester City have taken 30 or more points than us in the last two seasons, I think. So that is the situation as it is and we’re trying to close that gap. They (Liverpool) came closer than the season before and now we are trying even harder to close the gap. I don’t mind if they underestimate or overestimate us, I just focus on us. You guys have to talk and write every time, my job is to be focused on the team.”
Context: Challenges in the Premier League
Slot recognizes the difficulty in judging the Premier League table after only a few games. He points out that certain teams, like Wolves, have faced tougher fixture lists early in the season, which can skew perceptions of their quality. He highlights the depth of the league and the challenges that come with competing in the Premier League compared to other leagues, such as the Eredivisie, due to the high quality of players in every team.
Arne Slot on the Depth and Challenges of the Premier League:
Slot: “I think it is always difficult to judge the League table after five, six or seven games because if you look at Wolves they were really unlucky [with the fixture list] playing Arsenal, Newcastle, Chelsea and Villa – that is a different fixture list than the one we had. So with the Premier League, with every team able to buy players for a lot of money, every team has a lot of quality and you can never feel that the game is yours. There is always a threat because of the quality players in this league – at every team.”
Slot on Differences Between the Premier League and Eredivisie:
Slot: “Normally in most leagues it is the top seven or eight but because the Premier League has so much money and we have to do so much press. As a coach you are full on for every game play whether it is Eredivisie or the Premier League, but the games in the Premier League are tougher than the Eredivisie. So you don’t see any differences in the amount the players run in kilometers and the spirits they make but the duels; a duel against Virgil van Dijk is different to a duel against a player from a newly-promoted team in the Eredivisie. So it asks and demands a lot of you every single Premier League game. That is why you see more rotation in the Premier League than any other league.”
