Tag: Arne Slot

Liverpool’s League Cup victory at Brighton & Hove Albion this week will count for little when they meet in the Premier League at Anfield  today, their manager Arne Slot said.

Liverpool are second with 22 points from nine games, a point behind leaders Manchester City and six points above sixth-placed Brighton, who they beat 3-2 in a League Cup fourth round clash on Wednesday when both clubs fielding weakened sides.

“In football, we are used to playing the same team maybe after a few days,” Slot told reporters.

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“It’s not weird, especially because both teams didn’t start with the team they will start with on Saturday. For both managers it’s a positive thing because you know even more about the opponent.

“Although players make the game and it’s of course a difference if a different player plays. The playing style might be the same, but the qualities of the players make 10 times the difference. That changes the game on Saturday, of course, compared to the one on Wednesday.”

New Liverpool boss Arne Slot vowed to improve on his record-breaking start to life as Reds coach in tomorrow’s Champions League match at Leipzig.

Slot’s 10 wins in his first 11 games is the best start for a Liverpool manager.

The Reds are top of the Premier League table, having conceded just three goals in eight games, while they have won two from two in Europe.

The Dutch manager said his side was far from the finished article, citing Sunday’s 2-1 home win over Chelsea.

 “You can’t ask for much more when it comes to results, but when it comes to what we want there’s always room for improvement.

 “I don’t think we outplayed Chelsea – we should but we didn’t. They had more of the ball than us. In an ideal world we would have dominated them like we’ve done in other games.”

Asked if the crowded fixture schedule and Liverpool’s mounting fixture list put more pressure on Wednesday’s game, Slot replied “I never think it’s a good idea to lose games, no matter where you are in the season.

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 “The fixture list is tough, but what do you expect if you play the Champions League. It’s what we like, it’s what we want, so we have to deal with it.”

Liverpool travelled to Germany missing several players, including Diogo Jota, Alisson, Conor Bradley, Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa.

Liverpool’s opponents Leipzig are sitting second behind Bayern Munich on goal difference in the league and have conceded just two goals in seven games, but lost both their Champions League matches.

Slot was wary of Leipzig, saying their results “don’t tell the whole story.

 “They’ve had the difficulty of playing two very difficult teams in the Champions League (Atletico Madrid and Juventus).”

Returning to his former club, Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai praised Leipzig, saying he “came here as a young player and left as a grown man”.

Szoboszlai echoed his coach’s sentiments about improvement, saying his own form “can always be better.

“I can play better, I can score more goals, lay on more assists, but now I’m doing the dirty job for the team.

 “That’s what is most important for me: if we’re top of the league and I score no goals, I’ll take it.”

Szoboszlai is yet to score in the Premier League but has one goal and one assist in two Champions League games.

Asked about what Liverpool can achieve this season, the 23-year-old said: “I won’t answer that question anymore.

“We are looking forward to the season and we want to achieve a lot, but let’s see what we can do.”