Whereas Liverpool supporters could also be basking within the pleasure of being prime of the Premier League at Christmas, Arne Slot is staying persistent in ensuring his gamers stay focussed.
This season marks the twenty first time that Liverpool have spent Christmas evening main the highest flight. It’s a feat they’ve achieved greater than some other, however everybody is aware of the actual prize is available in Could.
Liverpool might have solely gained the gained title since 1990, however there have been a number of events when the Reds have been prime on December 25.
This 12 months, they’ve a bonus of 4 factors and a recreation in hand on Chelsea – the identical variety of factors they led by in 2018 and 2020, two events on which they didn’t win the title.
Whereas we have a tendency to think about the Christmas leaders because the resultant winners in Could, that truly hasn’t been the case lately, with Man Metropolis usually bettering within the second half of the season.
Within the one marketing campaign (2019/20) out of the final six that Pep Guardiola’s aspect have been overwhelmed to the Premier League title, Liverpool already had an 11-point buffer over Man Metropolis and only one fewer to second-place Leicester.
In actual fact, Liverpool even had an eight-point buffer on Man Metropolis at Christmas within the 2020/21 season, earlier than the Reds finally completed 17 factors behind them.
Whereas Slot’s present 12-point head begin on Guardiola appears far sturdier than a few of Liverpool’s leads in previous seasons, the actual fact Chelsea and Arsenal are simply 4 and 6 behind respectively ought to function nice sufficient warning for the Reds to keep away from decelerating.
Liverpool’s coach clearly thinks related and hasn’t received carried away along with his crew’s lead on the prime.
Requested if being prime at Christmas means something to him, Slot replied: “After all, it means one thing since you at all times desire to be the place we’re in the intervening time than to be in one other place within the league desk.
“You already know, simply in addition to I do know as a result of I’ve gained the league as soon as, how laborious it’s to win it. It’s important to carry on going, carry on going.
“Each three days you need to be on prime of your recreation, each minute of the sport. That’s why it’s so laborious to win it as a result of it’s not at all times straightforward to indicate up each three or 4 days.
“We noticed final week, in a second you will get a pink card – which was fairly a debate afterwards, not by me however by different individuals – and this stuff can occur in a season.
“At Newcastle, at 3-2 up you anticipate to win it and there was a scenario and we drop two factors. That’s the Premier League.
“I didn’t anticipate Chelsea to drop factors in the present day as properly, so it may well occur in each recreation and that’s what makes this league so particular.”
That could be what makes the division particular, however we’d relatively Liverpool made it that little bit extra boring for everybody else on Thursday evening.
