Arne Slot backtracks on Pep Guardiola comments and reveals Feyenoord talks

Arne Slot may have lauded Pep Guardiola as the world’s best manager during the build-up for Liverpool’s crucial match against Manchester City, but he backtracked during a private briefing with Sunday newspapers. “I don’t look up to Pep,” he said. “That’s not the words I would want to use.”

This was shortly after proclaiming on TV: “Pep is one of the best in the world – and in my opinion the best.”

However, with Liverpool enjoying an eight-point lead over City, there’s no sense of inferiority at Anfield, bolstered by their superior defeat of Real Madrid midweek that went beyond the 2-0 victory margin.

Merely 24 hours before, City squandered a 3-0 advantage against Slot’s old squad Feyenoord, capitulating within the final 14 minutes – a jarring continuation following five consecutive losses which rattled City’s foundations and sparked talk of Guardiola’s men being vulnerable.

“I got in touch with Feyenoord but not in a tactical way,” confessed the Dutchman. “I merely reached out to people I worked with to express my admiration for their incredible result and congratulate them on their outstanding performance.”

Anfield has been a challenging ground for the Blues, both before and after Guardiola’s arrival at the Etihad, where he has clinched six titles in seven seasons.

City have only managed three victories on Liverpool turf since 1956. Guardiola’s sole triumph there occurred when the stadium was deserted due to the pandemic, resulting in a 4-1 victory.

“What is even more peculiar is that the only time Liverpool have won the league in the last 30 years was also when there were no fans,” Slot retorted. “I believe this record is due to Liverpool consistently having strong teams. It’s a blend of the fans and the players.

“If you only had enthusiastic fans and subpar players, it would be tough to win any match. But if you have top-notch players and the fans are fully supportive, it always gives you an extra boost.

“Another statistic is that we have only won once in the last nine or ten matches against City.

“We had never won in the last eight times we played Real Madrid – until the other night when we emerged victorious.

“So for me, data and statistics like these don’t hold much weight in this game.”

Slot maintains that the only thing the champions need is a bit of good fortune.

Slot reminisced about his challenging spell at AZ Alkmaar, noting: “I remember those four draws in a row – but it is also different when you play in the Premier League and the Champions League.”

He then highlighted the tougher competition faced in England’s top tier and Europe’s elite contest, claiming: “In Holland, if you play Europa League or Conference League games and then a league game, it is much easier. You probably aren’t going to lose five in a row.

“In the Premier League and Champions League, this can happen to every team – especially if you are as unlucky as City have been in the last four or five games they played because the results could have been the opposite.

“I cannot answer how I would react (to five successive defeats) until I have been in that position.”

However, upon reviewing Manchester City’s recent performances, Slot observed: “If I analysed City at the moment, I would say the results are not what they want. But if you look at how they play, I would not be concerned at all.”