Slot Talk: "Only a Few Teams" Have Shown They Can Succeed in England and Europe
Today at 12:22 PM
Liverpool are preparing for what could be a defining week as they take on Real Madrid in the Champions League and then Manchester City in the Premier League.
Liverpool's victory over Southampton on Sunday saw Arne Slot's resilient Reds extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table on a weekend where top chasers Manchester City suffered a shockingly heavy defeat at the hands of Tottenham.
The Reds now stand on 31 points after 12 games, their only blemishes a draw at Arsenal and a shock home defeat to Nottingham Forest. They're also top of the Champions League league phase standings. All told, then, things are going pretty pretty good.
"Of course we are really happy, especially because after an hour we were 2-1 down" Slot said of his side's deserved comeback. "Maybe that wasn't a reflection of how the first hour went because I think we dominated the whole game, which is not easy.
"Maybe you think we played the number 20 team so this is what we expect, but I've seen many games of Southampton that they were dominating in so in the end, if you're 2-1 down after an hour, you are maybe over the moon if you can then win 3-2."
Southampton put up a commendable fight given the gulf in points earned and table position, but in the end the Reds keep marching on. Things don't get any easier, though, with back to back games against Real Madrid and then Manchester City.
It's a pair of matches that could define the rest of their season. Manage a positive result of any kind—win or draw—in both games and belief will be sky high heading into the festive period. At the very least, not losing to City is the minimum requirement.
"This league asks a lot from the players every weekend and if you then play in Europe it's not always easy," Slot added. "Only a few teams in England have shown they can do this. Liverpool have shown it in the past. The last two years have been more difficult.
"That's also why teams in England have such a big squad, maybe bigger than some other teams in other countries. That's what we need, you saw it today again, two or three players came in and really had an impact and that is what we need in this league."
