Liverpool boss Arne Slot targets improved display against Manchester City at home
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has challenged his players to show improvement from their 3-0 loss to Manchester City in November.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON – Liverpool manager Arne Slot said his side are eager to showcase how far they have progressed, when they face second-placed Manchester City in the English Premier League at Anfield on Feb 8, after losing 3-0 to them in November.
The Reds head into the clash after a commanding 4-1 win over Newcastle United last weekend, while City dropped points against 14th-placed Tottenham Hotspur, surrendering a two-goal advantage in a 2-2 draw.
“I mainly remember the game we played at Etihad and we were outplayed for large parts in the first half,” Slot told reporters on Feb 5.
“So this is another moment to see where we are in the development of this team. We know the importance of a result.
“It also helped City that our goal was disallowed and they got a penalty after VAR interference. Conceding a set piece did not help either and these factors do affect the game.
“This time, we want to show a different side of things.”
Liverpool sit sixth in the Premier League with 39 points from 24 matches. A successful title defence may be out of the question but they are just two points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.
“It’s the end phase of the season, so results matter more,” Slot added.
“We have shown... that we can compete with every team. We have not found the consistency for the results but we have shown against all the names, that we can compete.”
City have precious little margin for error left in the title race.
Leaders Arsenal will expect to beat Sunderland at the Emirates and stretch their lead to nine points, 24 hours before Pep Guardiola’s men make their trip to Anfield.
Despite winning the reverse fixture 3-0, City’s only victory away at Liverpool since 2003 came in an empty stadium during Covid-19 restrictions in 2021.
But Slot remains wary of a City squad that were able to cruise into the League Cup final over Newcastle in midweek, despite Guardiola making five changes.
“That tells you, combined with the game we played against them, what a force City still is and always will be,” he warned.
On the injury front, the Dutchman confirmed that defender Jeremie Frimpong will miss the weekend fixture, but Joe Gomez could return to bolster the defensive line.
He also explained the club’s decision to recruit four central defenders during the winter transfer window – Jeremy Jacquet, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Mor Talla Ndiaye and Noah Adekoya – describing it as planning for life after Virgil van Dijk.
“Hopefully Virgil can stay fit for multiple years, but this club is not stupid,” Slot said.
“We do know somewhere in the upcoming years there is life after Virgil but that is for every position. We don’t think about short term only.”
On the overall transfer strategy, he elaborated on how the recruitment of rising stars will put the club on a sure footing for years to come.
Liverpool’s latest signings came after a near £450 million (S$777.9 million) spending spree in the summer transfer market.
“Such a big talent and another example of the model we’re using at this club,” Slot said.
“Young, very talented players, sometimes at the start of their careers or sometimes already a little bit a few years into their career, but always players that are young and can improve us in the short term but also definitely in the long term.
“We’ve signed a lot of them recently and the mid-long term future of this club, and even the short term, is in a very good place.”
Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz are two of the club’s big-money summer signings that are beginning to deliver returns on the near-£200 million invested in signing them from the Bundesliga.
Ekitike scored twice against Newcastle to take his tally for the season to 15, while Wirtz has netted six times in 10 matches since ending a 22-game wait for his first Liverpool goal. REUTERS, AFP
