Arne Slot has said he would like his Liverpool tenure to be assessed based on the team’s style and entertainment value but accepts his time on Merseyside will be defined by the trophies he wins. The Dutchman is hoping to kickstart a new era of success by booking his first trip to Wembley.
The Liverpool head coach has never watched a game at the national stadium, let alone managed there, but has the chance to lead his team at Wembley next month if they can overcome a 1-0 first-leg deficit in the Carabao Cup against Tottenham on Thursday.
“In life, it’s not only about winning trophies,” Slot said. “I have to steal something Jürgen [Klopp] said. It is also very important that the fans leave the stadium thinking: ‘When do they play again?’ I like that sentence a lot because I would love us as managers being judged more on that than only on trophies. How do they play? Is it nice to watch them? Are the fans looking forward to the next game already? I agree that we are more mostly judged on the trophies we win, but I judge myself and the players on work rate and the quality they bring during every single game.”
Liverpool won the Carabao Cup last season, beating Chelsea 1-0 in the final after extra time and their frequent visits to Wembley has seen it nicknamed Anfield South by supporters. “It cannot be underestimated,” Slot said of the chance to reach Wembley again. “Maybe some of these players are already used to Wembley, but it would be my first time to go to Wembley. If you go to England people are talking about Wembley as an iconic stadium, especially if it’s a final. So you can be sure that we as a team want to win that game tomorrow to go to Wembley.”
After making no acquisitions in the January transfer window, Liverpool’s recruitment’s focus has turned to the summer. The key complication being Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold – who misses Thursday’s match through injury – being out of contract in the summer.
“You always have to be prepared for all the new things coming up,” Slot said. “We have some contractual situations but Trent, Mo and Virgil haven’t extended yet. So we are aware of the fact that we have to be sharp and ready for things that can happen.”
Slot has called on the English football authorities to expand match-day squads to 23 players to help with the hectic schedule. Federico Chiesa and Joe Gomez were omitted from the squad that played against Bournemouth on Saturday and the Dutchman would rather be able to include everyone available.
“We are here in a country where we play the most games, especially the likes of Aston Villa, Chelsea, Arsenal, us – all the ones playing in Europe and we have the League Cup and the FA Cup,” Slot said. “I don’t understand why we don’t go to 23 in this country because in this country, we play the most games everywhere around the world and we only have 20 players we can take to the game. It’s not for that game because nine substitutes is more than enough but to keep the dressing room going because you need more than 20 players in this country.”
Slot also has concerns about referees making live announcements at matches with regard to VAR decisions. The Carabao Cup semi-finals have trialled the use of officials explaining the process that led to the outcome and this protocol is expected to be used in the Premier League in future. The first leg against Spurs saw this used after Dominic Solanke had a goal ruled out but had no remit to intervene when Lucas Bergvall committed a potential second bookable offence before scoring the match-winner.
“For me that is not necessary,” Slot said. “I wonder if it’s a good thing for the referee because he’s already under a lot of pressure in every game from the home fans. I think him explaining if it’s against the home team would even add more pressure in the next and the next and the next decision he has to make.”
