Arne Slott’s comments continue to irritate Liverpool fans, with the Dutchman insisting that his Champions League last-16 appearance is a sign of progress given his recent form in the Europa League.
Some of Arne Slott’s recent comments have not been well-received by Liverpool’s fanbase (Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Arne Slott insisted Liverpool’s progress to the Champions League knockout stages was a huge achievement, pointing to their shock defeat to Atalanta two years ago as evidence of their rise as fans were once again furious over his comments.
The Dutchman secured third place for the Reds in the league as his side easily defeated Qarabag at Anfield, six goals ahead of the European minnows. He wants to highlight it as a major achievement and has chosen to strike home, recalling their shortcomings in the Europa League in Jurgen Klopp’s final year as manager.
After a poor year, Liverpool took part in a European secondary tournament, which they were not used to, but they were unable to take advantage of it and were sent off by the Italian side. Losing 3-0 in the first leg on our own patch was something we couldn’t recover from after the match.
Considering that Liverpool’s usual landing spot was the Champions League, the reference point was the slot, which was a bit of a surprise. They won seven of their nine full seasons under the Germans by knockout, but their performance in the Europa League was an outlier.
Still, he said: “We are happy to be able to reach the last 16 so soon, especially because it was only two years ago that we played in the Europa League and played against Atalanta in the quarter-finals.”
read more: Liverpool discover four possible opponents for Champions League last 16 after defeating Qarabagread more: Liverpool’s injury crisis deepens as Jeremy Frimpong becomes Reds’ latest injury
“So we’ve now reached the last 16 for the second season in a row, but last season we were hungry for more signings and we’ll definitely be hungry for more this season.”
However, fans were left dissatisfied with what appeared to be a demotion from his own manager. One said: “Every time he speaks he tries to lower our standards. I remember we reached the Champions League final three times in five seasons.” Another added: “This guy loves digging into the club. You’ll wonder why most fans have moved on from him.”
The story continued with another claim: “Now he’s just belittling Klopp with quotes like this, the man who gave him the best welcome he could receive and who built a team to win the league.”
Atalanta knocked Liverpool out of the Europa League two years ago (Image: Getty Images)
Slott is keen to highlight the accomplishments he has presided over, especially when asked about his sense of pressure and the need to prove himself, but defending himself has not endeared him to fans.
He won the Premier League in his first season, but after investing heavily, the team slumped significantly. The former Feyenoord manager recently claimed he had little to prove given his winning record in his first season, and suggested that fans’ expectations need to be tempered given they have only won the league twice in 30 years.
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