Liverpool boss Arne Slot says the fine margins are not in Liverpool's favour at the moment after his side conceded in the 95th minute to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for their third loss in a row.
Call it the sweetest red card of Enzo Maresca’s managerial career. Chelsea were 2-1 up deep into stoppage time and Stamford Bridge was in a state of disbelief when Maresca was ordered down the tunnel by Anthony Taylor. Estêvão Willian, the Brazilian sensation, had just scored his first goal for the club and his head coach had received a second booking after running down the touchline to celebrate with his players. Has a yellow card ever been more worth it? Liverpool are looking up rather than down for the first time under Arne Slot. They have relinquished top spot to Arsenal and have a host of problems to fix. The defence looks suspect, the midfield is open and there were few signs of an understanding between Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak even with the champions up against a Chelsea back four staffed by kids and makeshift options because of a long list of absentees. Continue reading...
More defensive opponents making life hard for champions but manager says Wirtz and different tactics will bear fruit Don’t panic. Stay calm. The advice from Virgil van Dijk and Curtis Jones was Zen-like in its reassurance in midweek as Liverpool digested back-to-back defeats for the second time under Arne Slot. Slot remained relaxed and upbeat on Friday too, sprinkling his press conference with several unprompted reminders that the team he was defending from rare criticism are top of the Premier League. Again. But behind the soothing messages and positive league table there are undeniable issues with Liverpool’s form that, according to Slot himself, run deeper than the opening 10 games of the campaign. Continue reading...
⚽ Keep up with the latest news before the weekend’s action ⚽ Premier League: 10 things to look out for | And email John Arne Slot has admitted: “We need to do better.” He’s been speaking about Alexander Isak: “I said to him when he started, the difficult thing will be you will have the appearances, but if you add the minutes together he will only have two or three appearances. That’s a situation we had from him, not training at Newcastle. But he still has a goal. The main thing is him adjusting to his new team-mates and his new team-mates adjusting to him.” Continue reading...
Midfielder urges teammates to ‘work hard and run more’ ‘The lads have to stay calm. It will all change’ insists Jones Curtis Jones has said Liverpool must improve the basics to correct their unconvincing run of form, including work rate and will-to-win, and believes they have enough world-class talent to ensure their problems will not deepen. Liverpool visit Chelsea on Saturday looking to recover from two consecutive defeats, against Galatasaray in the Champions League and, before that, Crystal Palace in the Premier League. It is only the second time that Arne Slot has suffered back-to-back losses as head coach. The champions produced another disjointed display in Istanbul where, despite dominating possession, the visitors rarely troubled Galatasaray’s goalkeeper, Ugurcan Cakir. Jones echoed Virgil van Dijk’s insistence that Liverpool have no reason to panic, but admitted Slot’s side must do more at all times to arrest their recent slide. “If you look left and right, there’s world-class lads all around,” the midfielder said. “But it is not all about that, it’s about lads who want to go and win. It’s OK if you’re nice on the ball and stuff like that but you have to go and win, work hard and run more. The lads know that, of course they do, but you have games like this and it won’t be the last as well. We would be mad to think we can turn up and just win these games. It’s about how much we want to win. Continue reading...
Liverpool have remoulded team since winning league Reds face Galatasaray after Crystal Palace defeat Arne Slot has said his new full-backs are not to blame for Liverpool’s defensive issues this season but his team must improve at set pieces given their increasing importance in the modern game. Liverpool have been vulnerable throughout an otherwise impressive start to the campaign and have shipped seven goals in six league games so far. Slot’s side conceded just two in the first six games of last season’s title-winning season. Continue reading...
Nketiah’s stoppage-time winner clinches points ‘If one team deserved to win, it was Palace’ Arne Slot admitted that Crystal Palace have given Liverpool plenty of cause for concern after they inflicted the champions’ first defeat of the season, 2-1, thanks to Eddie Nketiah’s late winner. The former Arsenal striker’s volley in the seventh minute of stoppage time after Liverpool failed to clear a long throw meant that Palace are the only unbeaten side in the Premier League and fare three points behind the leaders in second place. Liverpool – who had won their first five league matches – thought they had rescued a point after Federico Chiesa equalised Ismaïla Sarr’s opener three minutes from time after a corner. But while Slot refused to blame their defensive struggles on an inability to defend set-pieces after also conceding from two against Newcastle last month, he was honest enough to acknowledge that Palace were deserved winners. Continue reading...
Late striker’s deal at club had two years remaining Slot admits to struggling emotionally with shock death Arne Slot has confirmed Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, are to pay the final two years of Diogo Jota’s contract to the late striker’s family. The forward and his brother, Andre Silva, tragically died in a car accident in Spain on 3 July, 11 days after Jota married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso, the mother of their three young children. Reports at the time indicated Liverpool would honour the remainder of the 28-year-old’s contract, which was to run until 2027 and was understood to be worth around £140,000-a-week. Continue reading...
Striker could yet replace Leoni in league phase squad Italian relishing chance to thank fans for their support Federico Chiesa has outlined his determination to play his way into Arne Slot’s Champions League plans and to repay Liverpool fans for their unwavering support during a difficult debut season at Anfield. The Italy international impressed in his first start of the season on Tuesday with two assists in the 2-1 Carabao Cup third-round win against Southampton. Chiesa has also made an impact in four substitute appearances in the Premier League this season and says he feels “better physically and mentally” compared with his first campaign as a Liverpool player. Continue reading...
Alexander Isak, the man who extinguished Liverpool’s hopes in the Carabao Cup final last season, opened his account for Arne Slot’s side as they produced yet another victory with another late show. It was far from a comfortable night’s work for the Premier League leaders, however, as Will Still’s Southampton refused to be intimidated at Anfield and almost took the tie to penalties. Liverpool needed an 85th-minute winner from Hugo Ekitiké to see off tenacious opposition from the Championship and maintain their quest to reach a fourth League Cup final in five seasons. Ekitiké received a second yellow card for removing his shirt in celebration and will now miss Saturday’s trip to Crystal Palace through suspension. His dismissal added to Slot’s concerns after Giovanni Leoni’s impressive debut came to an abrupt halt through injury. Continue reading...
Maresca believes form and spending favours champions Chelsea having meeting to discuss Cole Palmer’s injury The Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca, fears it could be “impossible” for any team to stop Liverpool from retaining their Premier League crown. Arne Slot’s champions have already established a five-point cushion at the top of the table after an unblemished start to their title defence. After a 2-2 draw at Brentford and then a 2-1 defeat at Manchester United, Chelsea are seven points off the championship pace. Liverpool secured the title last season with four matches to spare and then broke their transfer record twice this summer, signing Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, in a deal which could rise to £116m, before spending £125m on Alexander Isak on deadline day. In all, Liverpool spent more than £400m on new signings. Continue reading...
Slot: stoppage time in derby was ‘completely correct’ Anfield tribute to Matt Beard before Carabao Cup tie Arne Slot has dismissed Everton’s criticism of the amount of stoppage time in the Merseyside derby on Saturday, insisting three minutes was correct and Liverpool do not waste time – unlike many of their opponents. David Moyes and Jack Grealish expressed frustration with the referee Darren England’s display during Liverpool’s 2-1 win at Anfield, with the Everton manager saying it was “very strange” that only three minutes were added to the second half. Grealish was booked after the final whistle for protesting against England’s decision to book Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall for taking a quick free-kick and also claimed Liverpool were trying to slow the game down when under pressure in the second half. Continue reading...
Robertson looks a better bet for Merseyside derby, a fresh test for Bournemouth, protests at West Ham and more It would be a surprise to see Arne Slot start Milos Kerkez against Everton, given the left-back’s struggles against Burnley last weekend. Kerkez was booked for diving and was lucky to avoid a second yellow after fouling Jaidon Anthony before being substituted for Andy Robertson after 38 minutes at Turf Moor. Surely Slot will not risk a similar performance in the cauldron of the Merseyside derby, especially with such a dependable option in Robertson and the tricky Iliman Ndiaye on the right wing for Everton? “It’s a massive jump [playing for Liverpool],” said the Scot as he came to the defence of Kerkez this week. “I came from Hull City, he’s come from Bournemouth, and it’s probably quite similar. He will be the starting left-back for Liverpool in the future and it’s up to me to push him this season and help him improve.” Kerkez is lucky to have such an experienced mentor, but may face a wait to get back into Slot’s starting XI after Robertson started against Atlético Madrid in midweek. Michael Butler Continue reading...
As non-goalscoring club debuts go, Isak’s 57 minutes at Anfield made for a fascinating spectacle Now witness the firepower of this fully operational Death Star. Four months, one record transfer and an endless rolling multiverse of internet rage since his last club game, Alexander Isak has now finally rematerialised in physical form. As rust-laden, non-goalscoring club debuts go, Isak’s 57 minutes at Anfield made for a fascinating spectacle. In part for the sheer event glamour, the rubbernecking aspect, like witnessing a personal appearance at a shopping centre by your favourite controversial reality TV star. But also for the sheer data overload in a thrillingly open game dotted with wildness: from a Diego Simeone crowd‑surf red‑card climax, to the endless tactical complexities that continue to flow from Arne Slot’s attempts to re-gear his Liverpool team along these giddily attacking lines. Continue reading...
