Slot believes in “special” Liverpool season ahead of Qarabag clash

By Liam Fletcher and Ciaran Thomson
Arne Slot insists his Liverpool side can still have a “special” season if they can improve in both boxes ahead of their UEFA Champions League clash with Qarabag FK at Anfield.

The Reds’ manager believes his side need to work on a “disbalance” at both ends of the pitch as they look to improve on a tough season.

Slot said: “There is a complete disbalance in how many times we arrive in promising positions and how many times other teams arrive in there.

“But there is not a disbalance in the goals that are scored and that’s a very bad cocktail we are having.

“If we can improve in both boxes, we will, we can do very special things this season.”

Despite a 3-2 defeat at AFC Bournemouth on Saturday, the Reds know a win would guarantee them a top eight finish and automatic qualification for the last-16 stage.

The Dutchman believes it is “impossible” to ignore the criticism his side has faced this season after going winless in five in the Premier League despite positive performances in Europe which see them sit fourth in the league phase table.

Slot said: “I think it is going to be really difficult to quiet the outside noise with the position we are in, in the league.

“Even if we win a few games, every loss or every disappointing result will start the noise coming back again.

“It is impossible to shut down the noise at a club like this if you are not competing for the league.”

Slot pointed to the fitness and injury troubles the league champions have faced this season as the reason to the frequency of poor performances.

Slot detailed Hugo Ekitike was benched on Saturday in an attempt to manage his workload and the difficulties he has faced managing fitness with with the noise from outside.

Slot said: “It is very hard, especially we are having with the problems with long-term injuries.

“If people knew the struggles we are facing, they’d be more understandable with the decisions I make.”

Slot added that due to this difficulty that he “wasn’t able to do the same as the Qarabag manager to change 11 players and play with 11 other ones tomorrow evening”.

Slot went on to speak on differences in injuries between last season and this season, pinning last season’s early Champions League elimination as a catalyst for this difference.

Slot said: “Maybe the reason we won the league last season is that we had to play Paris Saint-Germain in the last-16 because as you know they beat us and we had every time a week to prepare for our next game.

“Maybe that has helped us as well.

“Maybe if we had to double that programme which Arsenal had, and they dropped a few points in that period of time, that has helped us in winning the league.”

Slot confirmed the Reds would be without Ibrahima Konate (personal issues) and Joe Gomez (injured) for Wednesday’s crucial game.

Gomez came off in the first-half of Saturday’s defeat at Bournemouth but Slot is expecting the English centre-back to be back in a “relatively short time.”

Andy Robertson will be involved in the squad despite rumours of a £5 million move to Tottenham Hotspur.

Slot said: “He has been part of this squad and this club for so many years.

“I am happy to have him.”

The Dutchman followed it up with: “I expect him to stay.”

Summer signing Jeremie Frimpong played for his previous employers’ Bayer Leverkusen against Qarabag in the Europa League in 2023/24 and detailed how tough a challenge the Azerbaijani side will pose the Reds.

Frimpong said: “I know how good they are, I know they are Champions League level for sure from playing them with Leverkusen.

“I know it’s not going to be an easy challenge tomorrow, so we’ve just got to be ready, got to be prepared and go out there and just give it our best.”

The right-back detailed the similarities between last season at Leverkusen and his first at Anfield during the Reds’ struggles this season.

Frimpong said: “Liverpool is the reigning champions.

“Everybody wants to beat us.

“It is normal in football, if you are champions, people want to show that we can beat the champions.

“In a sense, it was similar to when I was at Leverkusen when we were the champions, everyone wanted to beat you.”

Frimpong detailed his frustrations over the weekend’s defeat but believes the best way to respond is by focusing on the Baku-based opponents.

The Dutchman said: “You can be angry on that day but then the next day, you switch on to the next match.

“I think me and my teammates were focused on Qarabag.”

The Reds know a win guarantees progression directly to the last-16 of the Champions League, with a point potentially enough should results go their way.

(Featured pic free to use under Alamy Licence, other images and video by Elsa Wiedfeld)