Slot Urges Focus on Southampton, PSG, and League Cup Final Amid Title Chase

AFP | London
Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

Arne Slot is calling on his Liverpool players to treat the next week as a series of three finals, starting with their Premier League clash against Southampton on Saturday. As Liverpool edges closer to securing the Premier League title, leads Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the Champions League last-16 tie, and faces Newcastle in next weekend’s League Cup final, Slot is urging his squad and supporters to stay focused on the task at hand.

While Liverpool are heavy favorites to extend their 13-point lead at the top of the Premier League table with a win over Southampton, Slot insists the focus must remain sharp.

“Our full attention, my full attention, is on Southampton,” Slot emphasized. “It’s the first of three finals in the upcoming week.”

The Dutch coach is keen to avoid any complacency as Liverpool prepares for a crucial second leg against PSG and the League Cup final at Wembley.

“I hope our fans will be as loud as possible tomorrow,” Slot said. “Not in the final, not against PSG, but tomorrow. I have to convince my players that we’re playing three finals, and I’m hoping to influence our fans as well so they understand how important tomorrow’s game is.”

Slot hopes the Anfield crowd will arrive early, with the entire stadium packed half an hour before kick-off, showing full support for the team. He believes that this will reward the players for their hard work, including their impressive win in Paris.

Reflecting on Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over PSG, Slot admitted his side had been “really, really lucky” to come away with the win after being dominated for much of the game. Goalkeeper Alisson Becker played a pivotal role in keeping PSG at bay.

“But, as Michael Jordan once said, the harder you work, the more luck you have,” Slot remarked. “This is the biggest compliment to the players. They’ve worked incredibly hard, and even in the second half when we didn’t control possession, we were still able to control PSG better than in the first half.”

In his first season at Anfield, Slot highlighted the importance of grinding out tough results, even when not playing at their best.

“If you want to win the Premier League, the League Cup, the Champions League, or the FA Cup, sometimes you need to win a game where you’re not playing your best football and get a bit of luck,” Slot said. “There’s almost no team that can play perfect football in every game over 38 league matches or in the Champions League. Real Madrid is one of the best examples of this.”

Slot’s message is clear: focus on the present, keep working hard, and trust that luck will follow.