Liverpool manager Arne Slott praised Aston Villa’s turnaround after enduring a slump that saw them lose six consecutive domestic games.
Aston Villa’s dramatic turnaround in form does not surprise Liverpool manager Arne Slott. Unai Emery’s side were winless in their first six games in all competitions, but have since won six of their last seven.
Their recent winning streak was only interrupted by an unexpected loss to the Go Ahead Eagles, with wins over Bologna, Fulham, Feyenoord and Burnley before the October international break.
They defeated Tottenham in the capital and Manchester City at home in the Europa League third leg in Deventer before setting their sights on Anfield.
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Opponents Liverpool will be hoping to avoid a fifth straight league defeat for the first time since September 1953. Incredibly, they became the first team in the history of England’s top flight to win their opening five games of the season and then lose their next four.
Currently, no team in the Premier League has a losing streak like Liverpool (4 games), but no team has a winning streak like Villa (also 4 games). The Villans could go down in history as only the second team in Top League history to win five games in a row after failing to win their first five games of the season, after Preston North End in 1936-37.
While many may believe that Villa’s best bet against Liverpool on Saturday night lies in direct football and long balls, Slott was quick to point out other threats. That was evident from last weekend’s impressive win against Manchester City.
“Chelsea played their game from the back and we didn’t win that game either,” Slott said when asked about the possibility of fewer long balls being played against Villa and Man City.
“Also, when people ask me after a game, ‘Why was it difficult?’ I’ll try to explain why it was difficult and I’ll give you an answer. People don’t ask me to come up with an excuse, but then I answer.
“I’m trying to explain why the game was difficult, but it was the first time since the Manchester United game, because in the previous game I wasn’t 100 per cent sure that everyone was aware of what we were aware of, so I felt a bit foolish to say that.
“I underestimate a lot of analysts across the country, but if that happened after the 10th game and nine of them were focused on long balls, you’d be right to ask me, ‘Why was it difficult?'” – without opening the opponent’s eyes.
“These two teams we’re playing now often use the ball from the back, but they’re also very good with the ball. I think City are a high-pressing team, but I’ve seen many times that Villa can play through that.”
“If I’m 100 per cent correct, and I think I am, they won the game with set pieces. So that’s the importance of set pieces.”
Commenting on Villa’s surprising turnaround, Slott added: “This is a sign that they did better than us! If we didn’t win at the beginning, people might say we’re not the same team as last season, but then they started winning and after that everything became very positive again.”
“For us, on the other hand, it’s quite the opposite. We’re both on the same points and apart from Arsenal, a lot of teams are in or around the same place, which shows how tough the Premier League is.”
“They’ve been doing very well in the last five, six, seven, eight games. Even in the games they lost before, you could already see the signs that they’re a very good team, so it wasn’t a surprise.”
“The signs of their play are very good and they usually play us for quite a long time, but every time they lose a game but create more chances than other teams, they decided not to make it a habit.
“Let’s hope we don’t get into the habit of not winning even though we have more chances than our opponents.”
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