Liverpool boss Slot dismisses sack rumours, insisting: ‘I feel a lot of support from the owners and the fans’
Liverpool have had a miserable week but Arne Slot says he has no concerns about being sacked
Arne Slot insists he has the support of the Liverpool hierarchy and supporters after another testing week that has seen them exit the FA Cup and suffer a one-sided defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Liverpool were hammered 4-0 at Manchester City last Saturday – captain Virgil van Dijk admitting the players “gave up” in the second half – and they would have been on the end of a similar scoreline at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night had it not been for some wayward finishing.
Slot’s change to a five-man defence in Paris failed miserably with the visitors failing to have a single shot on target in a toothless display that resulted in a 2-0 loss.
That, coupled with Liverpool’s position of fifth in the Premier League, has led to question marks around the Dutchman’s position but he insists he has the backing of everyone at Anfield.
Speaking before tomorrow’s home game with Fulham, he said: “I’m repeating myself a lot but I feel a lot of support. Not only from the owners but from Richard [Hughes] and Michael [Edwards], a lot of support from them as well but as weird as it might sound I also feel the support from the fans.
“We were going out in Paris when the players went out for the warm-up and after the 4-0 loss [against Manchester City] the fans immediately started singing ‘we love Liverpool’.
“I think it’s fair to say we were outplayed for 90 minutes and they were still singing and clapping for us. I’ve said many times, the club knows the period of time we’re in and in the mean time I feel complete support.”
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Liverpool face crunch time in difficult season
Liverpool face PSG in the return game on Tuesday night but must first focus on the challenge of finishing in the top five of the Premier League and playing among Europe’s elite again next season.
Slot added: “It’s normal at the end of the season – not only for us but for all of the teams – these are defining moments.
“We’ve given ourselves not the best situation to be in but Paris kept us alive and we’re still in that tie. Two massive games in the league coming up, then four more after that and hopefully more in the Champions League. But first to focus on is Fulham.”
The Cottagers will arrive on Merseyside chasing a European place themselves and Slot accepts it’s another difficult game for his side.
Asked to talk about Fulham’s qualities, he said: ”As always in football, the quality of the players compared to the manager they have. Their manager has been with them for a long time and you can see that when they play – clear structure and identity.”
Last season’s corresponding fixture ended in a 2-2 draw despite Liverpool being reduced to 10 men after just 16 minutes when Andy Robertson was sent off.
Slot added: “We played last season at home when we got the red card and it was probably one of the best games we played last season which sounds weird. But with 10 men we were really good, I think twice we were a goal down.
“That game maybe summed up our season.”
Liverpool boss Slot hails departing Robertson
Robertson announced yesterday he would be leaving the club at the end of the season after nine trophy-laden years and Slot was quick to pay tribute to the Scotland left-back.
“First of all, he’s had many great seasons here not only as a player but as a great person as well,” he said. “I got to know him as a great person. Every team-mate of his will tell you how funny he is, how great he is and I think that’s been shown on social media as well.
“But what I remember most about him is the intensity he plays with and we’ve seen and learned something about intensity two days ago but, I can also remember Robbo making a press from the left-back position to the right wing a few years ago and I showed it to my players I was working with back then.
“He’s won everything at this club, served his club and really loves this club. Been a great nine years for him. This season he didn’t play as much as he was used to and as a result of that he’s leaving.”