Arne Slot says Liverpool can have no excuse for a difficult first half to the defence of their Premier League crown
Arne Slot says Liverpool can have no excuse for a difficult first half to the defence of their Premier League crown. But the head coach is targeting a strong end to 2025 when rock-bottom Wolves visit Anfield on Saturday.
The champions are 10 points adrift heading into the weekend’s fixtures, with leaders Arsenal two clear of Manchester City in second and Slot’s men have already lost six times, which all came during a chastening period between late September and November.
Liverpool welcome Rob Edwards’s Wolves on Saturday having gone six without defeat in all competitions, which is a sequence that has moved the Reds up to fifth in the table but Slot is under no illusions as to how much improvement still needs to be made in 2026.
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“For me we are in the position we deserve after the first half of the season,” Slot said. “I think we should be higher, let that be clear, I was expecting and hoping for us to be even higher in the league table.
“But even in the last six games the difference between us and the other team is constantly too small.
“Now we have been a few times a little bit lucky with the result and we need to find a situation where we are so much better than the other team that luck or bad luck does not influence it anymore. I think the games we have lost were unlucky.
“The referees and set-pieces have had an incredible impact on the start of our season, but we should not have that as an excuse.
“That is luck or bad luck. There is always a decision that can go against you or in favour of you.
“That should not lead to us dropping points. We need to make sure like last season when a lot of decisions went against us as well but it didn’t hurt us.”
Slot added: “I have said many times players are getting fitter and fitter, not only the ones we have brought in but also the ones who missed out in pre-season and were a lot of time injured. They are getting used to each other.“I still think that the best is still to come for this team which I think we all agree on and are hoping for. That is completely normal if you just look at what has happened in the first half-year then I am not so surprised where we are.”
