Arne Slot confirms Liverpool's new vice-captain and also calls for an end to too much "romanticism" of last season's title-winning term
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 15: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, looks on prior to the Premier League match between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield on August 15, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 15: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, looks on prior to the Premier League match between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield on August 15, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Arne Slot has named Andy Robertson has Liverpool's new vice-captain(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Arne Slot has confirmed that Andy Robertson has succeeded Trent Alexander-Arnold as Liverpool's vice-captain to club skipper Virgil van Dijk. Alexander-Arnold was promoted alongside Van Dijk in 2023 by Jurgen Klopp following the departures of James Milner and Jordan Henderson, who wore the armband for eight years.
But the Reds squad has needed a new deputy since Alexander-Arnold moved to Real Madrid at the start of June.
Speculation was rife that Mohamed Salah was set to be tasked with vice-captain duties after Alexander-Arnold's exit. But Slot has now confirmed it is Scotland skipper Robertson, now in his ninth season at Anfield, who has earned the promotion in the club's leadership group.
"It's Andy Robertson," Slot confirmed. "He's played here so many years, won the league twice. It was Virgil, Trent, Robbo, Mo last season [in the pecking order], and Trent left, so there are logical reasons for that.
"Apart from that, why is he the second captain? Because he's a very good player, he plays many games, he knows what it takes, but also he knows the culture of the club and the dressing room.
"Apart from all the quality he's shown on the pitch, he also plays a big role in the culture we have here at this club which - I've said this many times last season - is the biggest gift I could get from Jurgen.
"And that's also something we definitely have to keep for my successor to have, if I'm ever leaving this club."
The Premier League champions welcome last season's runners-up Arsenal to Anfield on Sunday on the back of two dramatic, late victories to kick-start the defence of their championship.
After the 4-2 home win over Bournemouth two weeks ago, courtesy of late goals from Federico Chiesa and Salah, the Reds beat hosts Newcastle 3-2 at St James' Park on Monday night thanks to Rio Ngumoha's 100th-minute winner.
However, Slot has called for an end to the "romanticism" around last season's title-winning exertions when judging it alongside the 25/26 campaign.
The Liverpool boss adds: "The change [we need to make] is, and I tell it sometimes to the players as well, that not every game last season was Tottenham away (6-3) or West Ham away (5-0).
"Always if you win something, everybody's only looking back at some great attacks or some great wins, but the amount of times we struggled last season in a game of football was a lot. Wolves, we didn't even have a shot on target in the second half of a home game; away, we won it lucky, though the penalty was correctly given.
"I can go on and on and on - Crystal Palace away 1-0 when they had a big chance at the end. To romanticise last season as much as we do - and sometimes we make this mistake inside the building as well, I mean the players - is incorrect.
"Last season was, every single time, a struggle, most wins were only by one goal and we had to fight really hard for it. We said it last season 100 times, we didn't win the league as Manchester City did it for so many years with every single game being 4-0 up at half-time.
"We had to fight really hard for it. Then you start with Bournemouth at home, which is the most intense team of the league last season and playing only once a week, then Newcastle away, which was actually impossible to win there but we did, which is the biggest compliment I can give the players. It was unbelievable.
"We need to improve but we even had to improve compared to last season and we need to improve because the competition has improved. We have conceded two set-piece goals but we scored two, which some teams also do.
"You can always talk like this, but (Athletic) Bilbao friendly was also a very good game of us, we hardly gave away anything but because we conceded two everybody's like: 'Yeah you concede two goals every time'.
"But from the four games we've played, two of them were four set-piece goals."