Liverpool manager Arne Slot has warned that failure to see this season’s Premier League challenge through to completion could “haunt” his players for the rest of their lives.
Slot has surpassed all expectations to put Liverpool on the brink of only a second league title in 35 years in his first season at the club.
The Reds have a 12-point lead over nearest rivals Arsenal with only nine games left to play, but a recent wobble in form that has resulted in premature Champions League elimination and defeat in the Carabao Cup final is reason enough to consider it too early to celebrate.
Liverpool also dropped Premier League points against Everton and Aston Villa last month, either side of a less than convincing victory over Wolves.
Thankfully for Slot, Arsenal haven’t managed to take advantage so far, winning only one of their last four league games.
“I know how it works. If you don’t pick up trophies as a manager or as a player, it can haunt you for decades,” Slot explained in a new book following his career journey.
“Of course, I want to win as many games as possible – but I also want to stay in the memory of people. That is a trophy in itself, in my opinion.”
Liverpool are out of all other competitions down the final stretch of the season, which could be a blessing in disguise.
The Reds’ hopes of marking Jurgen Klopp’s final campaign with a quadruple ultimately crumbled last March and April as they tried to juggle multiple objectives.
There are no other distractions outside of the Premier League, with five wins from the nine remaining games likely to be enough, due to far superior goal difference already, even in the unlikely event that Arsenal maintain a perfect record from now until 25 May.
What we know
- Liverpool lead Premier League title race by 12 points
- Reds have endured wobbles across all competitions in 2025
- Arne Slot has warned about the impact of messing it up.