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Louise Thomas
Editor
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot will not accept mediocrity from his team and does not believe the players do either.
The Dutchman has enjoyed an almost dream start to his tenure at Anfield – the defeat to Nottingham Forest apart – with seven wins in eight matches leaving his side top of the Premier League.
Should they beat Champions League debutants Bologna, Slot will become the first man in the club’s history to win eight of his first nine games in charge.
But while Slot’s seamless succession to Jurgen Klopp may have confounded the doubters, the 46-year-old still sees plenty of room for improvement and highlighted a number of factors in Saturday’s 2-1 win at Wolves which he was not happy with.
“We as a team, if you have so much quality, you cannot accept mediocrity,” he said.
“You have to ask from yourself every second of the day, every second of the game, the highest standards that this shirt brings.
“I, and we as a staff, have to set those standards very clear and that last 15 minutes when we lost the ball so many times in promising positions or moments that could lead to promising positions is maybe not acceptable.
“I don’t lose my temper that much, I don’t think it is a good idea to lose your temper every single day because it doesn’t work.
A club of this standard has to be ready and I'm hoping and expecting the same from our fans— Arne Slot
“But the positive thing is that maybe I don’t accept mediocrity but these players themselves don’t accept it as well.
“It is not only about me not accepting it, the players don’t accept it from themselves also.”
Liverpool are strong favourites to add to the impressive win over AC Milan in the San Siro a fortnight ago against a team which finished fifth in Serie A last season but one which has only won once in seven matches.
However, Slot warned against complacency from either his players or fans and said both should use the pain of missing out on Champions League football last season as motivation – should any be needed.
“They have missed out on the Champions League for a year so when they step out on the pitch tomorrow I want to see this, I want to feel like they feel ‘Ah, we missed it for a season’.
“A club of this standard has to be ready and I’m hoping and expecting the same from our fans.
“They have missed it for a season and I am hoping they feel this desire to show to Europe again ‘They missed us because of this’ and that combination should hopefully lead to a very special night for everyone involved at Liverpool.”
Forward Federico Chiesa, who has managed only 68 minutes over three matches since arriving from Juventus late in the transfer window, will miss the match with an issue sustained in training on Monday.
However, Diogo Jota, who sat out open training, will be fit, while fellow forward Darwin Nunez has recovered from the illness which saw him miss the trip to Wolves.
Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano admits his side are huge underdogs but they cannot afford to take that mentality into the game.
“We don’t want to be fearful and be on the back foot because when you play a team like Liverpool, they realise what your mindset is,” he said.
“We don’t want to have any regrets when the game finishes tomorrow.”
Asked about his team selection, Italiano added: “I’ll look the players in the eye at lunchtime and make a decision.”
