Arne Slott has admitted he is enduring the most difficult season of his managerial career to win Champions League football with Liverpool.
An eventful 2-1 loss to Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday left the reigning Premier League champions in sixth place, five points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.
Speculation has been mounting over Slott’s position less than two years after he moved from Feyenoord to replace manager Jurgen Klopp.
Asked if this was the most difficult maneuver, the Dutchman replied: “By a mile.” “I don’t think we’ve ever lost two games in a row (before) because all the other seasons I’ve managed have been nothing but positive.
“This season is an exception for me as well as the players, who are not used to losing and drawing a lot.
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester City
“This season is different from other seasons where we’ve done something special. And there’s still a chance we can do something special this season.”
Slott knows the task of breaking into the top four is getting tougher by the week, with United enjoying a resurgence under Michael Carrick and Aston Villa moving a further three points clear.
“In order to close the gap of four or five points with third, fourth and fifth place, we need to win a lot, but we haven’t been able to achieve that this season. That’s why we have to improve and get closer to perfection.”
“It’s true that the difference is very small. Seven minutes before the end I thought City had a five-point lead, but five minutes later they were 11 points ahead.
“If there was no Champions League football, it was definitely not an acceptable season. When I came here, we could only sign Federico Chiesa, and it was after the Europa League season, so that had a huge impact on the way this club was run.”
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Gary Neville felt VAR “didn’t need to intervene” in the dramatic conclusion to Liverpool vs. Manchester City, when Rayan Cherki’s goal was disallowed and Dominik Szoboszlai was given a red card.
Liverpool will look to bounce back on Wednesday at the Stadium of Light when they take on Sunderland, the league’s only unbeaten home team.
And they will have to do so without Dominik Szoboszlai, who received a late red card in the controversial game against City for bringing back Erling Haaland.
The decision was widely criticized, with Rayan Cherki’s long-range shot curling into the goal, only to be disallowed due to a subsequent scuffle between Szoboszlai and Haaland.
Still, Slott remained generous, saying: “My feelings haven’t changed. As soon as I saw he got the red card, it was disappointing not to have him in the game against Sunderland, but on the other hand I think the referee did what he had to do.”
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Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai sees Red and Manchester City goals canceled due to scuffle with Erling Haaland!
“Not that we who love football like it, but it’s a rulebook and referees are there to follow the rulebook.”
Szoboszlai plays the right-back position, and with Joe Gomez scheduled to return to practice on Tuesday, he will likely rely on Curtis Jones or Wataru Endo in the slot.
The Liverpool manager is hopeful that his team will bounce back, adding: “I have to give a lot of credit to the players, because there have been so many setbacks and so many times we didn’t get what we deserved. But three days later they came back and gave a good performance.”
‘A long time ago’ – Carla predicts Liverpool will miss out on Champions League qualification
Jamie Carragher predicts Liverpool will miss out on Champions League qualification through the Premier League.
A Sky Sports pundit said Arne Slott’s side were “long gone” from finishing in the top five after losing 2-1 at home to Manchester City on Super Sunday.
A loss against Sunderland on Wednesday could see them drop to ninth place.
Asked if he thought Liverpool could qualify for the Champions League in the Premier League, Carragher said: “No, I don’t think so at the moment.”
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Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool need a major turnaround to have any chance of finishing in the top five of the Champions League
“They are going to need a big turnaround in form and the players above them are in great form.
Looking at Liverpool’s league, it looks like they have a long way to go to finish in the top five in the Champions League. Now there is a gap. They can make up for it, but Liverpool need to perform well in both cup competitions to save their season.
“The manager has to make other decisions regarding the front four.
“If Liverpool keep their front four and the games go end-to-end, I don’t see how they can move up in the Champions League.
“But no matter what Arne Slott does, this team and the composition of the team is not right. It never looks stable and it never seems to be in control.”
“Liverpool have a long way to go to qualify for the Champions League.”
Neville: Calm and experience key for Liverpool to qualify for Champions League
Carragher’s fellow Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville was more positive about Liverpool’s chances of breaking into the top five, but said they must show mental resilience to bounce back from the loss to City.
“They are currently four points clear of the top five,” he said on the Gary Neville Podcast. “It’s not a big difference at all, there’s a long way to go and they have to play most of the teams above them, so they still have a lot of chances.
“But there’s a question mark over Liverpool. There’s a question mark over whether they’ll finish in the Champions League or not. I still think they will, but what they have to do is sum it up quickly and throw it into a corner and forget about it.”
“Some people will say they concede late and it’s happening too often. Some people will say something is wrong, something is fundamentally wrong, structurally wrong. But I think they need to try to calm themselves down as much as possible. They need to get themselves back together.”
“They have a lot of experience with Alisson, Alexis Mac Allister, Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah, Ryan Gravenbirch. They have a lot of players who know what to do.
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Gary Neville felt VAR “didn’t need to intervene” in the dramatic conclusion to Liverpool vs. Manchester City, when Rayan Cherki’s goal was disallowed and Dominik Szoboszlai was given a red card.
“Can they keep it up? Will they be able to get back on their bikes?”
“They go to Sunderland next and that’s awkward. If you really want to tell everyone you’re still going to be in the Champions League, go to Sunderland and win. It’s going to be a difficult place to go to. To win there, be professional, keep a clean sheet and that’s what everyone should be looking at right now for Liverpool.”
“It will be tough there and the dressing room will be very low.”
