Tribal Football

Slot delighted with Gakpo for Liverpool victory over Leicester

Ansser Sadiq
Slot delighted with Gakpo for Liverpool victory over Leicester
Slot delighted with Gakpo for Liverpool victory over LeicesterAction Plus
Liverpool must continue to just think about the next game that comes in their path.

That is the view of manager Arne Slot, who spoke after his team went seven points clear at the top of the table.

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The Reds are in prime position to win the Premier League, with Chelsea and Arsenal both stuttering behind them.

After a 3-1 win over Leicester City on Boxing Day, Slot stated: “First of all, it’s important to win a game and I think we should win at home against Leicester, but I had the same feeling against Fulham and Nottingham Forest; so, you always have to do a lot, especially in the Premier League, to win a game. And that was also (the case) today, because we went 1-0 down. The league table is something of course we are aware of, but we also understand how many games there are still to play.”

On Cody Gakpo reaching double figures for goals, he added: “I think the main difference maybe is that the set-up of the front three was a bit different (in the past) than the set-up now. We expect a bit from our wingers to keep it wide, to try to get them in one-v-one situations. Cody has done this really well. Lucho has done this really well when he played from the left but Lucho is, in our opinion, also capable of playing as a nine; he did that really well against Spurs. Against Spurs it was mainly maybe Lucho and Mo that were dominant, now it was Cody again, together with Mo. It’s just nice to have so many options, in every position actually but also in the front three.”

On their league position, he finished: “I think if you’re in this game for a long time, like these players are and I am as well, then you know 20 games before the end you don’t look at it. You know so many challenges are still ahead of you. I think it was two months ago we were one point behind (Manchester) City and look what has happened there; in terms of injuries and then you have a bit of bad luck, you have a suspension. This can happen to any team, so it’s far too early to already be celebrating.

“But it is of course nice for us to be the team who we are. So, we know we are able to do this. But you have been at all these games like me and I don’t think there was any easy win for us during all these games. It could have been an easy win against Tottenham but then we conceded two and it was 5-3 and I was still like, ‘Hmm, OK’, I was quite happy with us scoring a sixth goal. That tells you how difficult it is to win if all your players are available, let alone if somewhere during the season you pick up some injuries or suspensions. That’s why we just have to take it one game at a time.”