Arne Slot has admitted he does not enjoy watching most Premier League matches but says he will not change Liverpool’s philosophy. The head coach feels the narrower quality gap between top and bottom and a growing reliance on set plays have reduced the entertainment.
“Most of the games I see in the Premier League are not for me a joy to watch,” Slot said. “But it’s always interesting because it’s so competitive and that is what makes this league great – because there’s so much competitiveness.
“Everyone can win against everyone, but just as someone who loves to watch football, without being interested in who’s winning or losing it, just to be enjoyed, I think there’s a big difference now between three or four years ago in the Premier League.
“Teams have become so much stronger – three or four years ago, when the top clubs faced the No 18, 17, 16, 15 [in the table], it could have been a four or five goals difference, and that’s usually what you like.
“If there’s so much difference between the teams, then one team is really good, but that’s not the situation any more. It’s not only about the set-pieces, it’s also because so many teams have become very strong. But we’re not going to change.”
Liverpool have had to adapt to the challenges posed by the increase in goals from set-pieces and a decline in scoring from open play and parted ways with their set-piece coach Aaron Briggs in December. Arsenal have scored 16 goals from corners.
“We didn’t expect the league to become like it did this season,” Slot said. “You couldn’t know this because last season it wasn’t as extreme as it is this season. That is usually what happens: if a team has a success in a certain area then it is being copied.
“Ten to 15 years ago a lot of people wanted to play like Barcelona. Let’s hope the one that wins the World Cup has a great style of play, wins it by scoring open-play goal after open‑play goal.”
After winning the title, Liverpool invested more than £440m on players. The recruitment resulted in a period of transition while Florian Wirtz and others learned about the relentless nature of the English top flight but is beginning to pay dividends for a side who have lost two of their past 16 league games.
“Our model is that we sign young players,” Slot said. “And it’s normal for younger players that they have to adapt usually more towards the Premier League, than if you sign players that have already played in the Premier League, that are 27 and are already at the end of their physical [peak]. But it’s exactly the reason why we have our model, because we believe that players can get better. This club has shown that we can achieve things, as we did five years ago and last season, with our model.”
Liverpool sit fifth before playing at bottom-placed Wolves on Tuesday, when victory could send them third. Slot’s side then return to Molineux on Friday in the FA Cup as part of a hectic schedule that also includes their Champions League last-16 first leg against Galatasaray next week. Wirtz will be absent for the Wolves games but could return in Istanbul.
Squad depth will be tested and Slot was boosted by Cody Gakpo’s first league goal in eight games in the win against West Ham on Saturday. “I don’t judge them only on the goals they score, I judge them on different things as well,” Slot said. “But for our attackers, I know how they think and what they want, and that is scoring goals.
“I was happy because I think it was the 4-1, so that gave us even a more comfortable cushion. But even more happy for him to score, because I think he needed that goal.”
