Liverpool endured a miserable period before the international break but return refreshed and with one sole purpose as they face Everton in the Merseyside Derby
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Arne Slot on Liverpool's difficult run of form
Arne Slot has warned Arsenal that Liverpool will not be easing off in their pursuit of the Premier League title, despite holding a significant advantage. The Reds go into the Merseyside Derby against Everton on Wednesday night nine points ahead of Arsenal, who closed the gap slightly by beating Fulham.
The Gunners picked up a 2-1 win over their London rivals on Tuesday night as Bukayo Saka returned from injury to score the crucial goal. But Mikel Arteta and his players know that they will need to be perfect in their remaining matches, and benefit from a Liverpool implosion, if they are to reel them in.
Liverpool have been the frontrunners all season under Slot’s management and now have just one sole focus, having lost the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle and been dumped out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain and the FA Cup by Plymouth. They are now full steam ahead towards winning their first Premier League title since 2019/20.
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"The situation that we are in is the kind that we would all have wanted when our campaign began at Ipswich Town back in August, so now we must make the most of it,” Slot swrites in his programme notes for the clash with Everton. “This means remaining focused on ourselves and our own results, not becoming distracted by anything else and reaching the standards that we know will be required in each and every game that we play.
"I said before the break that it was a big positive that our advantage at the top of the table had increased but at the same time we are all aware that these kind of leads are always likely to fluctuate, particularly in a league which is as competitive as the Premier League.”
Slot has insisted that the ongoing speculation surrounding star players Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk is not providing a distraction to the players. All three are out of contract at the end of June and rumours of Alexander-Arnold moving to Real Madrid and Salah to Saudi Arabia will not go away.
Arne Slot speaking in a press conference
Arne Slot says Liverpool are fully focused on the title(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
However, the current focus is on Everton, who earned a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture back in February thanks to James Tarkowski’s dramatic injury-time goal. Slot is determined to deliver a win for the home fans at Anfield this time around.
"It was funny before the break because I was asked on many occasions about which game was the most important because we were still involved in three competitions, but my answer was always the same – the next one is the most important,” he said.
"I think maybe not everyone believed me, but it was and is absolutely true. We need to have a laser-focus. There can be no looking ahead and definitely no looking back, the only thing that matters is the here and now.”
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