Liverpool face their first Champions League home game of the season on Wednesday evening, taking on Italian side Bologna at Anfield, and Arne Slot has given a clear warning to his players.
Arne Slot wants Liverpool to show Europe what it was missing now that they’ve rejoined the continent’s elite.
After missing out on Europe’s premier tournament last season, the Liverpool manager delivered a rallying call to his team and fans. Liverpool, the six-time winners, welcome Serie A side Bologna on Wednesday, hoping to build on their opening triumph against AC Milan last month after returning to the league this season.
But it will also be Slot’s first experience with a European night under the lights at the legendary stadium, now that he is in charge of one of the competition’s most successful clubs. Slot stated, “I am honored to work at Feyenoord, where Champions League evenings last season were also quite wonderful.
“People have told me it will be even more spectacular here. What I anticipate from our players – they have been out of the Champions League for a year, so when they come out on the pitch tomorrow, I want to see this, to feel like they are thinking, ‘Ah, we missed it for a season’.
“A club of this caliber must be ready, and I hope and expect the same from our fans. They’ve been missing it for a season, and I’m hoping they’ll have the desire to exhibit in Europe again. ‘They missed us because of this,’ and that combination should hopefully result in a really great night for everyone at Liverpool.”
Liverpool will focus on Europe tonight, but they are also in good shape domestically, having moved to the top of the Premier League with a 2-1 win against Wolves at the weekend. However, Slot was dissatisfied with his performance at Molineux, citing lost opportunities to end the game late on.
“We as a team, if you have so much quality, you cannot accept mediocrity,” stated he. “You must ask yourself every second of the day, every second of the game, for the greatest ideals that this jersey represents.
“I and we as a staff have to set those standards very clear and that 15 minutes when we lost the ball so many times in promising positions or moments that could lead to promising positions is maybe not acceptable.”
But Slot is pleased because he feels the players are on the same page as him, despite seven victories from eight games across all competitions.
“I don’t lose my temper that much, I don’t think it is a good idea to lose your temper every single day because then players at a certain moment feel ‘There he is again, screaming at us’,” Slot told me. “It doesn’t work so I think it is better to show them the actual things they do but the positive thing about this group is maybe I don’t accept mediocrity but these players themselves don’t accept it as well.”
Despite missing training this week, Diogo Jota should be available for selection, while summer acquisition Federico Chiesa will be out due to injury.
