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Talks of nerves and pressure run amok despite the seven-point cushion Liverpool hold over closest competitor Arsenal, but Slot stated that the season moving towards the end has given rise to such factors.
Liverpool’s manager Arne Slot gives instructions from the side line during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)
Table-toppers Liverpool boss Arne Slot opened up on the pressure on his side to clinch the Premier League title as the English top flight moves towards the business end of the season. Liverpool had to dig deep to pick up a scrappy 2-1 win over Wolves after a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park against local Merseyside rivals Everton.
Talks of nerves and pressure run amok despite the seven-point cushion Liverpool hold over closest competitor Arsenal, but Slot stated that the season moving towards the end has given rise to such factors.
“It is because we are going to the end of the season, not because of us but what people make of it,” Slot began.
“We have won other games at home or away by one goal when it was also tight. I remember Crystal Palace away when it was tight in the end,” he recollected.
“If this happens at the end of the season you guys are going to talk about nerves,” he added.
“To secure a win in the Premier League, if we are winning 1-0, is going to be a lot of defending and hard work,” the Dutchman said.
While a majority of the Liverpool squad have a taste of getting their hands on the iconic piece of silverware, and Slot himself has witnessed league success with Feyenoord in the Eredivisie, the Dutchman isn’t certain how relevant that experience might be in terms of the PL this year with Arsenal on a 15-match unbeaten run hot on Liverpool’s heels.
“We lean a lot on the players. They have to show up and bring the performance. We don’t present a meeting on how to deal with the pressure, that is not how it works,” Slot said.
“It helps that they are used to playing big games with lots of pressure, but don’t make that too big. We must not over-value experience,” he added.
“It is difficult to take experiences from that time with Feyenoord, different players, different opponents, different league.”
“And the ones who won the league here in Corona time (during the pandemic) with no fans in the stadium, at one point they were 25 points up, so there was hardly any pressure then,” the 46-year-old stated.
Liverpool face off against high-flyers Aston Villa on Thursday in their next PL assignment, and Slot opined that their battling win over Wolves could provide enough momentum for the Reds to take on Unai Emery’s men
“They have a great home record. When you get the fixture list, Villa away you all know is one of the tougher ones you can face. Very good manager, always has a very good game plan,” he said.
“We didn’t play our best on Sunday but to win gives us a different feeling to the Everton game when we conceded in the last second,” he continued.
“It tells you that you have a team that fights until the end. These are the games you have to win if you want to achieve something,” Slot concluded.
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United Kingdom (UK)
