Arne Slot says Liverpool need to be “close to perfection” if they want to qualify for next season’s Champions League and admits failure to do so would be “unacceptable”.
The Merseysiders head to Sunderland tomorrow night in sixth place in the Premier League following Sunday’s heartbreaking defeat to Manchester City. Fifth place is likely to be enough to secure a spot in Europe’s elite club competition while fourth would guarantee it.
Liverpool are four points behind fifth-placed Chelsea and five adrift of Manchester United in fourth.
And Slot concedes there is little margin for error from here on in.
He said: “Close to perfection [is needed] because of the points we are behind. It’s different when you’re four points behind a team that’s 18th as they normally don’t pick up as many as a fourth- or fifth-placed team.
“We have to win a lot and we haven’t done that a lot this season so that has to be better.
“Margins are very small as seven minutes from time we were five points behind City and now we are 11 behind.”
Failing to finish in the top five would have serious implications for Liverpool’s summer transfer plans – not to mention Slot’s own job security.
The Dutchman has first-hand experience of the impact it can have, adding: “If we don’t have Champions League football, then it’s definitely not been an acceptable season.
“When I arrived here [in 2024] we could only sign Federico Chiesa and that was after a Europa League season. I’m completely aware of that.”
Slot admits this has been hardest season yet
Slot’s career trajectory to date has been one of steady progress with successful spells at Cambuur and AZ Alkmaar culminating in domestic title successes in the Netherlands and England with Feyenoord and Liverpool respectively.
And he admits this season has been his hardest in management to date.
“It’s been the toughest season for me as a manager by a mile,” he said. “I don’t think I’d ever previously lost two games in a row. It’s an exception for me and the players, they aren’t used to losing and drawing so much.
“This season has been challenging. But I also look at how much improvement we are making. The main thing as a manager is results, but the next thing is seeing players can improve and I’m seeing that.
“Our performances are much better now than at the start of the season where we started playing a double programme. Since we went into that we started to drop a lot of points.”
