Jamie Carragher has revealed that a chance encounter with Arne Slot has led to him thinking the Liverpool coach has an “obsession” with the Champions League.
First off, being obsessed with winning the European Cup is by no means a bad thing. However, it can become an issue if the style of play employed is detrimental to Liverpool’s domestic affairs.
Whether that is the case remains to be seen, but it is fair to say that some of Liverpool’s signings, Florian Wirtz in particular, appear to be better suited to European competition than the Premier League.
Speaking to Sky Sports, pundit and Liverpool legend Carragher said: “I think Slot has a little obsession with the Champions League. He speaks about PSG a lot last season, on the back of losing to them.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, March 11, 2025: Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister is challenged by Paris Saint-Germain's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (R) during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 2nd Leg match between Liverpool FC and Paris Saint-Germain FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“He speaks so well of them. He almost admired losing to that team and the fact that they went on to win the tournament, and the way they played in the final.
“I think he loves managers whose teams play that type of football, that’s how he envisages his team playing at their absolute best.
“That’s why on the back of last season, talking about Liverpool having control, he wanted more flair – you can see that with the players he’s brought in. But when you spend that much money, you have to be one of the favourites for the Champions League.”
Arne Slot introduced Jamie Carragher to family as a Champions League winner
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, March 11, 2025: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 2nd Leg match between Liverpool FC and Paris Saint-Germain FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
The former defender won the Champions League for Liverpool in 2005, a season in which the Reds weren’t at their best domestically as they finished fifth in the league behind Everton.
With Liverpool now 11 points behind table-toppers Arsenal, many supporters are already pinning the season’s hopes on a European triumph like the Reds’ in Istanbul.
“I actually bumped into Arne Slot in the summer when he was away, we were both on holiday,” Carragher added.
“He was there with his family and I thanked him for what he’d done for Liverpool last season in terms of winning the league.
“And he introduced me as a Champions League winner to his wife and his kids, and I’d almost feel like he thinks ‘that’s our next step’.
“I could feel it the way he said it, ‘We’ve won the league, but we want to win the Champions League‘.
“It was that type of thing and it just stuck with me in his head, you can feel he desperately wants it as all top managers do.
“But when you’re a manager of Liverpool, the club is synonymous with the Champions League so we have to go close.”
While supporters would have hoped to retain their Premier League title, many would have picked the Champions League over English success at the start of the season.
The next step on that road is beating PSV on Wednesday, with Liverpool needing to re-find some form after eight losses in their last 11 matches.