“I often don't like…”

Champions Liverpool are heading towards the end of the season without a Premier League title and manager Arne Slot has already been called into question. The Dutch technician has also changed his speech and more recently even claims that there are things he does not like in the Premier League!

Arne Slot: “If you ask me what I understand by football, I think of Barcelona from 10-15 years ago”

What bothers him the most? “Most of the Premier League games I watch don't bring me any joy. This is largely due to the increasing importance of set-pieces. This is especially true here in the Premier League.

This is the new reality. When I look at other leagues, I don't think there's as much value on set pieces. If I watch an Eredivsie match, I see goals disallowed and fouls awarded for fouls on the goalkeepers. Here, instead, you can almost hit a goalkeeper in the face, and the referee tells you to “keep playing”.

Do I like this? My footballing heart says “no”. If you ask me what I understand by football, I think of the Barcelona team from 10-15 years ago”, commented the Dutch technician.

Liverpool are the champions of set pieces this year

The Liverpool manager then became conciliatory, “it's great that here anyone can beat anyone”, but quickly returned to the critical style: “As anyone who enjoys football without caring who wins or who loses, just for fun, I can say that there is a big difference between what it is now and what it was in the Premier League three or four years ago“.

Despite Slot's statements, it is precisely the team he is preparing, Liverpool, that is the grand master of goals scored from set pieces in the Premier League. Not even the Arsenal leader, also a specialist in these phases, can resist him. In the match against West Ham (5-2), on Saturday, the “cormorants” scored three of the five goals following corners!