Arne Slott has insisted he feels “full support” from both the club and the fan base, despite the increased pressure on Liverpool’s head coach.
Liverpool have suffered three consecutive defeats, including a 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-final first leg and a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup, adding to their dismal run of just two wins in their last eight games.
The pressure is mounting on Slott ahead of their match against Fulham on Saturday Night Football, but the Liverpool manager reiterated that he feels nothing but the hierarchy at the club and the support from the supporters.
“I’ve said it many times, I’ve said it many times, but I feel a lot of support,” Slott said in a press conference ahead of the game against Fulham.
“I feel the support not only from the owners Richard (Hughes) and Michael (Edwards), but also, as strange as it may sound, from the fans.
“We were in Paris right after we lost 4-0[to Man City]and the fans were singing ‘I love you, Liverpool’.
“It would be an understatement to say we were losing, but we got to the away end and they were still singing and clapping for us and we have always felt that support.
“The club knows what period we are in and in the meantime I feel full support.”
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Tim Sherwood analyzes Liverpool’s 2-0 loss to PSG in the Champions League and tells fan clubs whether he thinks Slott will manage at Anfield next season.
Slot on pressure to secure Champions League football
Liverpool are fifth in the Premier League, good enough to qualify for next season’s Champions League after the English club secured an extra spot in Europe’s elite competition, but just one point behind sixth-placed Chelsea.
Brentford and Merseyside rivals Everton are three points behind in seventh and eighth place respectively.
Asked about the pressure of securing a top-five spot in the league after not winning in the top flight since February 28, Slott said: “We played against the European champions and we experienced that night that we were not at the level we wanted.
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Sky Sports reporter Vinny O’Connor was in Paris to summarize Slott’s reaction to Liverpool’s loss to PSG
“The good thing is that within four or five days we have a chance to prove that we are much more competitive than before.
“But it also means that if we want to keep improving we have to keep playing at that level and next season that means Champions League football.
“Once you have experienced that, you will want to come out next season and show that we can do even better. We want to have that chance next season as well, so we have to perform in the league as well.”
“It’s going to be interesting. Yesterday was a recovery day. Not all of our players will be able or capable to play in an intense game three days later.
Let’s take a look at what the lineup will be this time.
Saturday, April 11th 5pm
5:30pm kickoff
Nine decisive days for Liverpool
Vinnie O’Connor of Sky Sports News:
“The club knows what period we are in and I feel their full support during this time.”
A valuable reaction from Arne Slot ahead of a decisive week of transition.
There is no escaping that feeling, as it is once again underlined by the impending departures of the first Mohamed Salah and now Andy Robertson.
The fact that Slott is “fully involved” in recruiting this summer suggests he will not join the team, and is perhaps another sign of support from higher ups, given that he is under intense scrutiny regarding his long-term future.
But what does he and the “Transfer Committee” plan to do? Next season’s Champions League? The next nine days will be a long road to making a decision.
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Slott reacts after Andy Robertson announces he will leave the club at the end of the season
“We haven’t given ourselves the best situation,” Slott admitted.
“We are still in that position because Paris kept us alive. And we have two big games in the league and then four more after that. Hopefully we can play a few more games in the Champions League as well.”
Not all of Liverpool’s failures are the fault of their head coach. As he himself admits, he made mistakes. At the same time, the shortcomings in the depth of the squad were brutally exposed many times.
But his words are defiant, a mantra that where there is life, there is hope. The question is, can he and his players use that mindset to save the season?
Alisson ruled out, but Isak makes ‘important’ return for Liverpool
Slott outlined that his full focus is on Saturday’s game against Fulham, despite hoping to right the wrongs of Wednesday’s performance in the second leg in Paris on April 14.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker will not be in the match-day squad for this game as he continues to recover from a muscular injury that has kept him out of the last three games.
The Reds lost all of those games, conceding eight goals and scoring one goal.
“We haven’t brought any players back yet, but Alisson is working hard to find a way back into the team. He will not be back in the team,” Slott continued.
But in a welcome boost for the Reds, who are in danger of falling outside the top five, club-record signing Alexander Isak returned from injury against Paris Saint-Germain and played a 13-minute cameo off the bench.
Alexander Isak (second from right) returns from injury against PSG
Isak has made just 16 appearances since arriving from Newcastle for £125m and has had to play catch-up in fitness and deal with a number of minor injuries before suffering a serious problem in December.
Isak was injured in a tackle by Micky van de Ven while scoring the opening goal in the 2-1 win over Tottenham, and underwent surgery for an ankle injury that included a fractured fibula.
“Obviously it’s extremely important for us to have Alex[Isak]able to play for us again. It was difficult for us to convert chances into goals, but he was a lifelong goalscorer,” Slott continued.
“It’s really good to have him back. It was only 15 minutes, but it was good to have him back and we hope we can increase his minutes.”
“It took him a while last time, but after a great rehabilitation period we hope we can get him up to level sooner.”
Slott also admitted he was “concerned” about the fitness of Jeremy Frimpong and Joe Gomez, but declined to say whether they would be available for the game against Fulham.
