Jurgen Klopp loved to have a dig at English football’s power-brokers and broadcasters for the fixture pile-up – but his Anfield successor Arne Slot is keen to put a positive spin on the congested calendar.
Liverpool have won every game this season without conceding a goal but Slot’s squad will be challenged with tougher tests ahead as Saturday’s home clash against Nottingham Forest marks the first of seven games in 22 days.
The Reds head coach, though, does not think this is an issue and reckons his squad – which has significant depth – can cope with the fixture pile-up. ‘I wouldn’t say it is a problem,’ he said. ‘Because if you play these games you get stronger and stronger and stronger.
‘They are actually now fantastically prepared for the upcoming fixture schedule because we trained them for this. Then they got in practice for the international teams playing two games and now they are going to do this with us. So it is not always a bad thing.
‘It is what it is – if we are fortunate to work at big clubs like I do, we also have a lot of good players. And that’s also one of the reasons why we have so many players. If we only played 15 games then we wouldn’t need as many.
Arne Slot insists Liverpool’s players can benefit from the upcoming fixture congestion
The Reds are back in the Champions League and Slot is ‘fully energised’ – but recognises the mental burden on players
‘I understand that is why it is so hard for the players because you need a mental rest more than a physical one because you ask quite a lot of them. It is not hard for me, it is much harder for the players that went to their national teams. I am fully energised playing padel every day!’
Slot will be without Harvey Elliott for the visit of unbeaten Forest with a fractured foot, though fellow midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones have got over minor injury worries to be fit. New signing Federico Chiesa spent the international break improving his fitness and is available for selection.
Slot added that his side have been far from perfect and there are a number of weaknesses he still thinks must be improved, despite the three wins from three. ‘There are many things (to improve) but it is not like one big thing that we have to change completely,’ said the Dutchman.
‘It is more that there are so many details where we can improve and there are also things we do really well but we do them eight of 10 times so there is always room for improvement. The way we defended crosses against Manchester United was not always spot on.
‘And the first half against Ipswich we didn’t recognise that they were putting us under pressure, one v one, constantly so we have to see earlier that we have to play over the press. So although we have done quite well, we are still learning day by day.
‘We are trying to teach them what we can improve. A lot of things have to be done better but there is not one thing that we do s*** – if that is the right word! – it is more like we do some things really well eight out of 10 times… and we are aiming for 10 out of 10 in everything.’