Key moments in Liverpool’s Premier League title charge under Arne Slot

National World - LocalTV

A few big periods for the Reds, that they got right…

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00:00Liverpool in terms of the title race. Let's just break down when they can realistically

00:06lift the Premier League title. Obviously Arsenal are still there but their focus is probably

00:13most definitely going to be on the Champions League now with that huge game against Real

00:18Madrid. Liverpool though, they are cruising towards an incredible title win. First to

00:23just look at when they might realistically do it and just break down the fixtures maybe

00:29and then also just summarise how it's a great achievement to come in to any side and win

00:35the league in your first season. Arnie Schlott has got to really take that on board.

00:39Yes, I'm sure a lot of fans are looking at the fixtures aren't they and thinking, I want

00:45to be free that day. The earliest point that Liverpool can win the title is away to Chelsea

00:51on Sunday 4th May. They've got, as we speak now, they've got Fulham on Sunday, they've

00:56got West Ham at home, they've got Leicester and they've got Tottenham. So, Liverpool need

01:0213 points to win those four games. Then they'll go to Chelsea on the 4th May, potentially

01:09being able to win the title. Of course, there's some difficult fixtures in that. But Liverpool

01:14as well, they'll be looking at Arsenal's games. There'll be a lot of Kopite support and effort

01:19in this weekend when they play Arsenal, hoping they can do a job. Arsenal, of course, they've

01:25got Real Madrid in the Champions League, two big games. Arsenal have never won the

01:30Champions League. Does Mikel Arteta look at it now and think, let's just go for Europe

01:36rather than the league, we're too far away. Obviously, injuries are starting to take a

01:40toll as well on Arsenal, aren't they? Then Arsenal could maybe visit the next week, I

01:46think it is, and Liverpool might potentially have to give Liverpool a guide on how it feels.

01:52Maybe that Arsenal game might be the game where Liverpool do seal the title if they

01:57do drop points, say, against the Tottenham at home or maybe a Fulham on Sunday. Fulham

02:04are so hot and cold, they can be excellent, can't they? But they can also throw in a couple

02:09of bad performances. In terms of the achievement, yes, I'd like to know how many people actually

02:16tipped Liverpool for the title at the start of the season. There's so much uncertainty

02:23with Jürgen Klopp leaving the club. He was a real figurehead from top to bottom, transformed

02:29the entire club during his tenure and Arnold Slot was relatively unheralded. It was a risk

02:36coming from Holland. I think a lot was made about Dutch managers in the Premier League

02:42who hadn't done too good. Herbert Ten Haag was one whose Ajax team reached the Champions

02:47League semi-final. Uwe van Gaal didn't do too much at Man Utd and, obviously, before that,

02:53maybe the likes of Gus Hitting, Chelsea. But he's gone about his business slowly, didn't bring

03:01any players in bar Federico Chiesa because he was happy with the squad. I think as we get towards

03:08the end of the season, maybe you are seeing the flaws in Liverpool. They've banked more than

03:15enough points. But if there were, say, 16 games to go rather than eight, you may be looking and

03:20thinking, Liverpool's just going to run out of steam here. There's plenty for Slot to ponder

03:25ahead of the summer in terms of his recruitment, players going out, etc. But for now, he's been

03:34saying it. The only focus can be on this season and that's it. Forget next season,

03:38forget what's going to happen in the future. There's eight games to go and that's where all

03:41the focus has to lie. You mentioned it there that they started the season unbelievably well.

03:49Do you feel there were any standout moments or standout periods? Obviously, there was that

03:55late October, early November, where they beat German champions Leverkusen, they beat Real

04:00Madrid, they beat Manchester City at home. Arsenal away, they go and get that draw. Do you

04:06feel there was that sort of period that built confidence? Obviously, the champions didn't go

04:11quite to plan in the end, but beating those champions in the space of a couple of weeks

04:17was such good for Arnie Slot's side in terms of building confidence.

04:21Well, that was the period because there were a lot of people outside of me saying,

04:28Liverpool haven't played anyone yet when they were top of the league. That run, as you say,

04:33I think it was just after the international break. We played Chelsea at home, we beat them,

04:37as you say. We went to Arsenal and got a point. In the same week, they beat Real Madrid and

04:42Manchester City at Anfield, beat Bayer Leverkusen. In Gaston Villa, they beat RB Leipzig.

04:49You can't get much of a tougher run than that. Liverpool looked comfortable for the most part,

04:56first half against Arsenal. They were probably second best, but otherwise in that run,

05:01I'm struggling to think where you thought you had any doubts about them. At that point,

05:06Frank Grappenberg was probably one of the best midfielders in Europe. He was unbelievable.

05:12Mo Salah, obviously, racking up the numbers, the front three were firing. Gakpo Diaz,

05:18and defensively, they were excellent. That partnership of Canarte and Virgil van Dijk.

05:24Let's not forget, for a good period, Alisson Becker, the goalkeeper, was unavailable as well.

05:29One of your big leaders in the team was absent for a large period, but Liverpool had

05:35the deputy, Karim Kelleher, to come in. As you say, I think that's the point where

05:39Liverpool fans are thinking, we can go and do this. Why can't we? There's no need to fear anyone.

05:44Champions League was disappointing. They got beat by maybe the best team in the competition.

05:50I think Arnold Slothfield's the best team who've been in Europe this season,

05:53despite them being in the French League. Nothing disappointing about that.

06:01The Newcastle Carabao Cup final will frustrate a little bit, but they'll go

06:06and win the title and that's what people will remember this season, without a doubt.

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