Arne Slot says Liverpool’s Premier League win was one of ‘best days of my life’
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Liverpool manager Arne Slot won the English Premier League title in his first season in charge and he is already looking ahead to next season.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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LONDON – Liverpool manager Arne Slot said on May 2 that winning the Premier League title at Anfield was one of the best days of his life, as he turned his thoughts towards next season.
The Reds crushed Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 last weekend to seal a 20th English league title with four games to spare, basking in a sensational atmosphere at their packed home ground.
“Maybe for all the Liverpool fans, one of the best days of their lives, and I think it was the same for me. The way the whole day went, arriving at the stadium, how intense the fans already were, then during the game going 1-0 behind, so it even felt like, ‘Oh, they’re not going to give it to us, we have to work for it’,” said Slot.
“Then scoring the goals, seeing how much it meant to the players but also to the fans – for me, was really special.”
Liverpool travel to face fifth-placed Chelsea on May 4 before taking on Arsenal, Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace in their remaining games.
“It’s nice that we play some very strong teams with Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton and Palace, so that gives immediate challenge to those games. It’s the end of the season, but we also have to look at this as the start of next season already,” added Slot.
The Dutchman also said he was surprised by the 22-point gap between his side and Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea, whom he felt were the better team when they met in October, even though Liverpool won 2-1.
“Mostly we were the better team on the pitch,” he said.
“But in that game we had to suffer more than any other game, maybe. So to be so many points ahead of them is a big compliment for everyone here at this club.”
The former Feyenoord boss confirmed that he would rotate in the final games of the season.
“Some of them deserve to play already earlier this season because they’ve trained so well,” he said. “They are good enough to play for this club, but I mainly chose the same players.
“And I think this is also a moment to see where they are, also looking towards next season maybe a bit already. But definitely also because they deserve to play this season.”
And in another sign that he is already thinking about the future, he added that Liverpool’s Premier League triumph would be a boost in terms of recruitment.
“Winning the league, having these fans, I think this is a big attraction to every player we want to bring in, and that’s definitely helpful,” he said.
Captain Virgil van Dijk and top-scorer Mohamed Salah have recently signed new contracts to stay at Liverpool but Slot said there was no update on Trent Alexander-Arnold, who continues to be linked with a move to Real Madrid in the summer transfer window.
While Slot seeks improvement, Maresca believes his Chelsea team can get closer to Liverpool next season as he prepares to give the Reds a guard of honour at Stamford Bridge.
Despite their big gap now, the Blues were within just two points of Liverpool in mid-December, two months after that 2-1 defeat at Anfield. For now, they still have their eyes firmly set on a top-five finish, which would secure Champions League qualification.
“I think the gap (to Liverpool) is there, you can see it clearly,” said Maresca, whose team have won five of their past eight league matches.
“My feeling is that we are in the right direction and hopefully this gap can be closed. The difference has been probably that they have been consistent compared to us.
“Also in terms of experience, players that know how to win games, I think they have something more compared to us.” AFP, REUTERS
