Liverpool’s objectives for Arne Slot’s first season in charge
A look at the season objectives for LFC.
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00:00Well, looking at Liverpool and Arnie Slott obviously coming in, huge expectations will
00:06be there following on from, obviously, the success of Jurgen Klopp, which some fans and
00:12obviously pundits see as Liverpool's greatest hero in a very, very long time at least. So
00:18what should his expectations be? Are they clear yet? And have they been set? Obviously,
00:24he's had his first press conference.
00:27Yeah, he held his first press conference last week. He spoke well. I mean, to be honest
00:33with you, it's a new manager not to speak well, to be honest with you. To be quite frank,
00:37him and the new Sporting Director, Richard Hughes, he gave the answers that you would
00:42expect, really. And look, I think the position that Liverpool are in, he needs to just carry
00:49on the work that Jurgen Klopp has put down, to be quite frank. I mean, the expectation
00:54of Jurgen Klopp every year wasn't, let's go and win three, four trophies. It was, what
00:58can we do? Can we challenge Man City? Can we challenge for silverware? And Arnie Slott,
01:05that would be his remit as well, because Liverpool have got themselves into a position as a club
01:10where they're back at the top of the European elite, increased their revenues, manifold
01:19and have attracted top players to the club. And that's where Liverpool need to stay now,
01:24because they obviously had that period after the dominance in the 80s where they were in
01:30the doldrums somewhat, because a lot of fans would love to be in Liverpool's position.
01:36But for a club of Liverpool's stature, it wasn't good enough, that mid-90s period. And
01:43then the early 2000s, there was a little bit of success in the Champions League, but then
01:48again after that, it wasn't great. So, that's where Liverpool need to stay now, and that's
01:53what Arnie Slott will be saying. He'll be saying, get us in the top four every year
01:56is a minimum. And that's a challenge in itself, because we know that Chelsea are going to
02:00be coming next year, Tottenham are going to improve, Newcastle are going to be better,
02:04Aston Villa are there now, so that's a big challenge. And a challenge for silverware
02:08as well. The bar's been set, Jurgen Klopp's won two Carabao Cups, he got to a final of
02:14where he won the FA Cup. And Liverpool fans, I don't think they're in a position where
02:20they scoff at domestic trophies. Everyone wants to get them, and the dominance of Man City,
02:26the Premier League sometimes, you've got to be realistic and think, well, if we can't
02:29win the Premier League, we still want to win a trophy. So, yeah, look, Arnie Slott's come
02:33out and says he thinks he can challenge Manchester City, might be a little bit more difficult
02:38than he expects once he gets into it. But yeah, pretty much where Liverpool are, they
02:43can't afford to drop the standards.
02:45And obviously, making the return to the Champions League, it's not as simple as just going
02:50on and saying they can go all the way in that competition. What's a realistic aim for them
02:56in the Champions League? They obviously want to get through to those latter stages and
03:00certainly through their group.
03:02Yeah, well, it's different formats, isn't it? This year with the big league table and
03:07playing eight games rather than six in that. As you say, getting through is really important
03:16just because the revenue streams as well that come from the Champions League. Even winning
03:20your group games, even if they're effectively debt rubbers, I think the Champions League
03:26group game win has been something like three million pounds. That's a lot of money, isn't
03:30it? So, the revenues are going to go up significantly compared to the Europa League during 2023-24.
03:37But it's difficult in the Champions League because the group games, you can almost rotate.
03:44It depends on who you draw a lot of the time. But once you get through, can Liverpool find
03:50that balance of being able to play twice a week the top teams? Because even in the Europa
03:55League, they were able to rotate, make wholesale changes to the team.
04:01I think if Liverpool get to the quarter-finals, they might be happy, but it depends on who
04:07they draw as well and what happens, what game they're at home for, etc. Obviously, Liverpool
04:12have got a lot of history in the Champions League, some superb under Jürgen Klopp in
04:18it. I think Arne Slott has got a good reputation in Europe as well. He obviously got final
04:24to the Europa Conference League final during the Champions League last season. So, he'll
04:29be chomping at the bit to have a go on those big European nights as well.