Liverpool take on Everton in the Merseyside derby on Wednesday night looking to bounce back from disappointing results in the Carabao Cup and Champions League
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Updated 22:34, 01 Apr 2025
Arne Slot was angry with the Liverpool players for the manner of their defeat to Newcastle
Arne Slot was angry with the Liverpool players for the manner of their defeat to Newcastle
(Image: Getty Images)
Arne Slot held a meeting with his Liverpool players on their return from international duty to warn them that being outworked is “almost unacceptable”.
The Reds boss issued the rallying cry as they bid to get the job done in the Premier League title race. Slot spoke with his players on Sunday to remind them of the standards set this season. Liverpool host Everton on Wednesday in a Merseyside derby looking to take another step closer to winning a 20th title.
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But Slot felt he needed to give his players a message after a Carabao Cup final defeat by Newcastle before the break. He said: “There was definitely a message to the players and they came in Saturday and we had the meeting you are talking about yesterday [Sunday]. The message is as simple as it has always been – don’t accept you are outworked by a team, which we were, against Newcastle.
READ MORE: Arne Slot points finger at Mo Salah over Federico Chiesa's Liverpool problemREAD MORE: Wayne Rooney predicts Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid twist - 'Wouldn't surprise me'
“If the stakes are so high, that is almost unacceptable, almost. It can happen in a season once or twice but it shouldn’t happen many times.”
Liverpool will have Alisson Becker and Ryan Gravenberch fit for Wednesday’s clash with Everton while Conor Bradley could also feature after recovering from a hamstring issue. But Trent Alexander-Arnold remains out with an ankle problem.
Slot again reaffirmed that the contract drama around Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah is not a distraction for him in the Reds’ pursuit of glory. But speculation was again ramped up over the future of the Reds right-back during the international break with reports that Real Madrid are closing in on a deal to sign him on a free transfer this summer.
Salah and Alexander-Arnold are out of contract soon
Salah and Alexander-Arnold are out of contract soon(Image: AP)
Slot said: “His situation is unfortunately that he is injured, otherwise people would have spoken that he had one or two brilliant performances for the England team.
“But he is injured and for him that means he is fully focused on his recovery. For us it means we will try to help him to be back as soon as he can.
“And for the rest, for eight months it went a bit up and down with talks about him, Virgil or Mo, but we have never been focused on those talks, we have always been focused on what we have to do. For Virgil and Mo that is trying to win the Merseyside derby and for Trent it is trying to be fit as soon as he can.”
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