Arne Slot faces key Liverpool test after Champions League and League Cup setbacks

National World - LocalTV

It’s been a tough couple of weeks for Arne Slot, as his side crashed out of the Champions League before falling short in the League Cup final against Newcastle. So, what lessons can be taken from these defeats, and how does Slot move forward from here? To discuss it all, we spoke to Will Rooney of LiverpoolWorld.

Transcript

00:00Now it's been a tough couple of weeks for Arnie Schlott as his side crashed out of the

00:08Champions League before falling short disappointingly in the League Cup final against Newcastle

00:15United.

00:16The back-to-back setbacks have been a real test for the manager, highlighting both the

00:21progress his team has made and the challenges they still face.

00:26While disappointment lingers, this period could serve as a valuable learning curve for

00:32Schlott as he looks to refine his approach and push for success in the future.

00:39So what lessons can be taken from these defeats and how does Schlott move forward from here?

00:45To discuss it all, I spoke to Will Rooney of Liverpool World.

00:50So Will, looking at Liverpool, let's touch on the last week or so in terms of Liverpool's

00:57season.

00:58Obviously, if we rewind back a bit further, they obviously crashed out of the FA Cup.

01:04Then they, out of Europe as well, to a fantastic PSG side.

01:09Obviously, Arnie Schlott saying it's probably the best game of football he's been involved

01:13in over those two legs.

01:15Was great for the neutral as well, but then they crashed out of Europe and then obviously

01:19losing the Carabao Cup final as well.

01:22They are lucky in this position that the league form is so good and has been so fantastic.

01:28Barring that though, they have crashed out of all three of the competitions.

01:31What's the take?

01:32We've spoken before and you've been very sure that Liverpool fans would have certainly taken

01:39the league over anything else this season, but it must be a big learning curve for Arnie

01:44Schlott and his players.

01:46Yes, I think so.

01:48I think there's a few people getting a bit annoyed because people are saying, oh, they're

01:54only going to win the Premier League title.

01:56Well, the Premier League title wasn't even in the equation for Liverpool to start the

02:00season because no one expected them to be challenging.

02:03Jürgen Klopp leaving, Arnie Schlott coming in, everyone thought it was going to be a

02:07season of transition, finishing in the top three, top four, qualify for the Champions

02:13League, maybe have a good run in the Champions League, maybe win a domestic trophy, but instead

02:18they're going to win the league.

02:20As I say, it was, I don't want to say damaging because that has profound connotations because

02:30it's not damaging.

02:32They've been two tough blows though to take.

02:35PSG won.

02:36They deserve to go out on the balance of the two legs.

02:40He played well in the second leg, just ran out of steam, lost on penalties.

02:47For me, the Carabao Cup final loss was tougher to take just because of the manner of the

02:53performance.

02:54Liverpool didn't turn up, let's be frank, Newcastle were by far the better side.

02:58They made it difficult for them, they set the stall out early, and Liverpool didn't

03:02adapt to that.

03:03They looked leggy, they looked fatigued, especially in the engine room.

03:08The front three were lacklustre, they only really shone a little bit when the substitutes

03:14came on, but it was too late.

03:16I think Arnaslott, as you say, will be a learning curve because there have been some fears for

03:23a few weeks, a few months now, certainly among myself, some colleagues in the press pack

03:30and fans as well, that Arnaslott hasn't utilised the squad enough this season.

03:37I remember asking him before the Champions League game against Lille about Ryan Gravenberch,

03:41at that point he'd started nearly enough every Premier League and Champions League game.

03:46He didn't rotate, that Southampton game was a prime example, and has that just caught

03:50up on Liverpool?

03:51They've got a big enough gap, you'd think, to go and win the Premier League, but looking

03:57at next season, Arnaslott's going to have to maybe make a few tweaks, trust more of

04:02his players.

04:03Does it come down to, does he trust enough of the players, the squad that he's inherited?

04:09When he gets some of his own players in, will he look to rotate a little bit more?

04:14If Liverpool had won the Carabao Cup, would that have really affected Mo Salah's chances

04:20of winning the Ballon d'Or?

04:21No.

04:22The Champions League, perhaps.

04:23But look, he'll know there's a little bit of noise about it now, and he really wants

04:31to get his hands on that prize, so he'll know that he has to go again, and he'll have

04:35to work potentially even harder.

04:37I don't know if that's possible, but he might have to if he's to afford the Real Madrid

04:41giants.

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