Arne Slot has given a former Liverpool player credit for his team’s Premier League victory over Arsenal, but his comments should not be taken at face value.
Liverpool have kept up their winning record in the Premier League after a narrow victory over Arsenal at Anfield. With the Gunners and their North London rivals Tottenham dropping points, this means Slot and his players are already two points clear at the top of the table.
The man in charge declared Sunday’s victory was all thanks to Jamie Carragher, after his harsh assessment of Liverpool following their win over Bournemouth on the first day of the season. However, a hint of sarcasm can be detected in Slot’s post-match interview, which was shown by Sky Sports.
“Listening to Jamie. That’s why we won the game. Because Jamie hated the 4-2 win against Bournemouth. He thought we were far too open. So we thought, let’s make it a boring game today. Let’s keep the structure really well, so don’t consider counter attack, and that’s what two games did.”
As the Dutch head coach continued, it became clear he was making a joke at Carragher’s expense. He revealed the victory was more about having control and then producing a special moment near the end.
“But on a more serious note, first half, they took the risk of going one v one for us. This was hard because they brought all the free midfielders so close to their defence. That’s why we changed.
In the second half, we said, Okay, we go one v one. But now with Dominik Szoboszlai playing full back to full back, and let’s control the midfield. With our three midfielders, in my opinion, that’s the reason why they had the upper hand in the first half, because they pressed us better and on the ball, both teams were really comfortable in the second half.
We pressed, in my opinion, really well. So for me, after 45 minutes, we got the upper hand, which, in the end, we needed a moment of magic to win the game. So I’m not standing here that tactics had anything to do with winning the game, but good control from both teams over 90 minutes and a moment of magic was needed to win.”
Liverpool had already shown a clear ability to score goals and look dangerous in attack. Now, the Reds have silenced their doubters by displaying strength in defence too.
They will look to continue building on this after the international break with a trip to Burnley, before taking on Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.
