Arne Slot admits Liverpool are out of the Premier League title race and are as an alternative specializing in Champions League qualification.
The defending Premier League champions are fourth and 14 factors behind leaders Arsenal forward of Thursday’s match on the Emirates – stay on Sky Sports activities.
Liverpool are unbeaten in eight Premier League video games however Slot is aware of it could take one thing particular for his facet to retain their crown.
“It’s never nice to say that the title race is gone, because you never know what can happen in football,” Slot mentioned in an unique interview with Sky Sports activities. “However the very last thing we should always speak about at this second is the title race.
“We all know that our league place makes it very laborious to compete with Arsenal for the league title.
“Our first focus now’s on a top-four, top-five end to qualify for the Champions League. And all the opposite issues we will nonetheless play for, for the Champions League, for the FA Cup.
“And if something happens that no one would expect and probably never has happened before, then we try to make sure we are ready for that. But I don’t go to Arsenal thinking about the title race. We go to Arsenal thinking about winning a game of football against a very strong team.”
Requested if a drop in depth from his facet has been the explanation for Liverpool’s underwhelming season, Slot admitted: “Yes and no, it’s a fair comment.”
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However Slot insists that at instances Liverpool’s obvious lack of depth is extra all the way down to the opposition and the way they set as much as nullify his facet.
Slot added: “In the last nine games, people would probably tell me, and I would completely agree with them, that Villa and Brighton were the nicest games to watch. And I would like these people that have their opinion to see how Villa and Brighton played, and how all the other teams we faced played us.
“It is not like I would like us to play in the way in which we performed in another video games. However possibly that is the following step we’ve to make, that we do not depend on what the opposition does, we’re simply ok to at all times implement a quick fashion, however we’re not there.”
Despite admitting some of what Liverpool have done this season has been “so unhealthy”, Slot stays optimistic for the second half of the marketing campaign.
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Arsenal supervisor Mikel Arteta talks forward of their sport in opposition to Liverpool
“If things click and that will happen, then this group of players is capable of much more than the results are telling us now,” he mentioned.
“We’ve shown we can beat a lot of teams if everyone is available. We’ve beaten Arsenal at home, we’ve beaten Villa, Real Madrid, Inter Milan.
“However we have additionally proven that we have not had the consistency to win different video games to make the league desk look a bit nicer. But when everybody is on the market, it is a very proficient and good group and we will win in opposition to everybody.”
With the January transfer window now open, Liverpool have the chance to add to Slot’s squad. They failed to sign Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi in the summer and now face competition from rivals Manchester City.
Slot said: “I’ll undoubtedly not make the error to speak a couple of participant that is been linked to a different membership and to offer my opinion about that. I can discuss for hours about our gamers, however not about gamers from different golf equipment. The main focus is only on the soccer facet of issues as soon as once more.”
