Liverpool manager Arne Slot humorously shared that his father sometimes complains that his team’s football isn’t “exciting” enough.
The Premier League leaders, six points clear of second-placed Arsenal, are set to face relegation-threatened Ipswich on Saturday. However, Slot is expecting a tough challenge, noting that Ipswich have been unlucky at times in recent games.
Slot reflected on the difficulty of facing Ipswich: “They’ve been a bit unlucky sometimes in the last moments of games.” His first encounter with Ipswich at Anfield in August saw a 2-0 victory for Liverpool, but he acknowledged that the second half of the season is always more challenging as teams strengthen during the winter break.
He pointed out that teams often improve after working with a manager for a while, which can lead to tougher competition in the second half of the campaign.
Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich have had some encouraging results, but they were heavily beaten 6-0 by Manchester City last week. When asked if Liverpool fans could expect a similar dominant performance at Anfield, Slot joked:
“That is difficult for fans, and my father is a fan as well. When I call him after the game, he can also say it wasn’t as exciting as other Liverpool games, like the one against Lille. And then I have to try to explain to him that these games you can easily lose if you’re forcing all kinds of difficult balls.”
He continued, humorously admitting that his father often disagrees with his approach. Despite the jokes, Slot expressed satisfaction with his team’s 2-1 win against Lille in the Champions League, emphasizing the importance of control when facing well-organized sides.
Slot added:
“A low-block team, like Nottingham Forest, is probably the best in the league if you play these stupid balls, which my father would love to see us playing a bit more.” He explained the risks involved in such tactics:
“That is the risk of giving them many more chances. There’s a difficult balance between taking the risk and conceding a lot or having control, maybe not creating as much.”
Slot acknowledged that this pragmatic approach may be frustrating for fans who prefer more thrilling, high-scoring games, but stressed that success requires a balance:
“It’s a balance we have to find, and I can understand that it’s sometimes difficult for fans as well that come to the stadium to see us winning, but hopefully us scoring a lot of goals in an exciting match. But you need two teams for that.”
He concluded:
“The better we do, the less likely it is that teams come to Anfield and say, ‘OK, let’s go to a high press and press them all over the pitch.’”
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