Arne Slot confident he has Liverpool backing and hails Andy Robertson’s ‘intensity’
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool manager Arne Slot says he feels “complete support” from the club’s ownership even though his team is on a three-game losing streak and facing a trophyless season.
Liverpool’s midweek 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals followed a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup last eight and a 2-1 loss at Brighton in the Premier League.
The season had started with high hopes after the club’s record summer spending of $570 million on new players following a Premier League title in Slot’s first campaign.
“The club knows in which period of time we are in. In the meantime, I feel complete support,” Slot said Friday.
Liverpool is in fifth place in the Premier League — 21 points back of leader Arsenal but chasing Champions League qualification. The team, which has one win in its past six games in total, hosts Fulham on Saturday.
“I feel a lot of support but not only from the owners,” he said. “As weird as it might sound I also feel the support of the fans.”
Slot noted the fan enthusiasm at Parc des Princes during warmups as well as after being outplayed by PSG: “They were still singing for us and clapping for us.”
Andy Robertson’s exit
Robertson and the club announced Thursday that the left back will be leaving at the end of the season when his contract expires.
“What I remember most about him probably is the intensity he’s always playing with — we’ve learned something about intensity two days ago,” Slot said in reference to the PSG game, which Robertson didn’t start.
“This season he didn’t play as much as he was used to — still a lot but not as much as he was used to,” Slot said. “As a result of that, he’s leaving probably next season but not only that, I think it’s also difficult to be in that position longer than a season.”
Asked if playing time was Robertson’s motivation, Slot said: “Every player wants as much regular first-team football as possible, but it’s a question you should ask him.”
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