If Arne Slot is feeling the pressure of the title race, he’s certainly not showing it. During his latest media briefing at the AXA Training Centre on Tuesday morning, the Liverpool manager appeared to be embracing the battle for the championship against Arsenal.
With an away fixture against Aston Villa approaching on Wednesday, Slot was reminded of Villa’s inconsistent recent league form, including a 1-1 draw against relegation-threatened 10-man Ipswich Town on Saturday. Their last Premier League victory came over a month ago at Goodison Park. Slot seized the moment, jokingly remarking, “Winning against Everton is always a special achievement, isn’t it?”—a comment that drew laughter from the journalists present.
Everton came up more than once during the press conference, with some critics suggesting Liverpool’s late collapse at Goodison Park and their narrow win over Wolves at Anfield hinted at mounting nerves. However, Slot remained in good spirits, even teasing a journalist who attended Everton’s stadium test event by asking who scored first—a question he likely already knew the answer to, as Wigan Athletic U18 player and Liverpool fan Harry Rimmer netted the opener and celebrated by showing six fingers to the home crowd.
Despite the lighthearted moments, Slot is fully aware of the serious challenges ahead. Liverpool’s seven-point lead at the top will be put to the test over the next nine days with trips to Villa and Manchester City, followed by a home game against Newcastle United. However, the Reds boss remains focused on the immediate task.
“I see it as 13 games left, and the next one is always the most important,” he said. “Villa away, just like Wolves at home, will be tough for us and for everyone. They have a strong home record, especially in evening games. We know it’s going to be a challenge, but we’ve done well away from home this season.”
Indeed, Liverpool remain unbeaten in 13 Premier League away matches and have already equaled last season’s tally of nine away wins. Their narrow victory over Wolves was their sixth one-goal win of the campaign, and Slot expects more close battles in the title run-in.
“I remember the Crystal Palace game—it was really tight, and Vitezslav Jaroš had to make a big save to secure the win,” he recalled. “At this stage of the season, people talk about nerves, but winning by a single goal in the Premier League always requires defending and hard work. It’s the same effort throughout the season, but in the final stretch, people call it nerves—I don’t, but many do.”
Most of Liverpool’s squad has experience in title races, though their last league triumph came when they had built an unassailable lead. Slot acknowledged that while experience is helpful, every title race is different.
“It helps if you’ve been through it before—not just for me, but for the players,” he said. “But you still have to go out and earn it. You can’t compare this to when Liverpool last won the league. That was during the COVID season with no fans, and at one point, they were 25 points ahead. There wasn’t really any pressure then, though if I were 25 points up with 10 games left, I’d still be thinking, ‘We need to win!’
“Experience in big games is valuable, but some players don’t have that and still make the right decisions because of their quality.”
Reflecting on the win against Wolves, Slot admitted the performance wasn’t perfect but emphasized the importance of getting results.
“We didn’t play our best football, but a win gives us a different reaction than after the Everton game, where we conceded in the last second. That took a toll on us,” he explained. “Some players looked a bit tired, but not everyone. I only had one or two in mind who seemed exhausted.”
Leave a Reply