Following their Champions League exit against Paris Saint Germain, Liverpool FC’s season will end without a title. In the Merseyside derby against Everton, the Reds now face a rival in the battle for the top flight. Meanwhile, coach Arne Slot has once again made people sit up and take notice.
The testimonial after Liverpool’s elimination from the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain (0:2) was clear: hard-working, but harmless. The Reds had been even less dangerous a week earlier at the Parc des Princes in Paris, when coach Arne Slot had prescribed a defensive tactic for his team. Immediately after the knockout in the top flight, LFC will now be looking to consolidate their position in the top five in the league so that they can continue to marvel at Champions League soccer at Anfield Road in the coming season.
The Reds have six games left in the league to maintain or even extend their four-point lead over Chelsea. Ahead of the Merseyside derby at Everton FC, Slot is in good spirits despite – or perhaps because of – the elimination against PSG. “They showed a lot of character against Paris St. Germain,” said last season’s champions’ coach, praising his professionals and pulling out a surprising statistic. “Many of my players broke records in terms of physical performance. That shows how strong and how well prepared we are, and that won’t change on Sunday.”
Slot surprises again with statements
Despite a strong start to the second half, Liverpool also ended the second leg with a clean sheet. Especially before the break, the Reds had left a lot to be desired against the reigning Champions League winners. “The people who saw the home game against Paris Saint-Germain saw that we have a bright future ahead of us,” said Slot, who surprised everyone once again with his assessment. He had already said the same thing directly after the game.
While Andrew Robertson and Mohamed Salah will be leaving the team, new key players could arrive. “We signed quite a few players last summer. In the four transfer windows since I’ve been here, I think we’ve spent a net 150 million pounds. That shows what kind of club we are.”
No club in the world spent as much money on transfer fees last year – and ever in one summer – as the English champions, who broke the Premier League record twice for Florian Wirtz (125 million euros) and Alexander Isak (144 million euros). In addition to Isak, Slot also signed another top striker, Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitiké, for around 88 million euros.
The Frenchman ruptured his Achilles tendon against PSG and will miss the World Cup as a result. “First of all, it was a good idea to sign two nines,” Slot claimed for himself, adding sarcastically: “I don’t know whether there’s now talk of us signing another number 9 in the summer.” Although Isak, who has just recovered after a four-month break, still needs time, he could replace Ekitiké in the future. Slot had already started the Swede against PSG. A wrong decision, as Isak remained completely ineffective.
Will Slot still be coach when Ekitiké returns?
The need in attack has now become even greater. However, the 47-year-old is not worried about the injured Ekitiké: “I am 100 percent sure that he will be one of those who will say in 10 or 15 years’ time: ‘Maybe this injury has even helped me to become stronger and to be even better prepared to perform at a higher level than before’,” explained Slot.
Whether he will still be working on Liverpool’s “rosy future” himself when Ekitiké returns to the pitch is likely to be decided in the coming weeks. Although the season will end without a title for the champions, the minimum target remains qualification for the Champions League. A win in the derby at closest rivals Everton, who are five points behind the Reds, would be the first step in this direction. It will be Liverpool’s first visit to the new Hill Dickinson Stadium, where Slot will also be without Joe Gomez – time for a fresh start in a mixed season?.