Arne Slot says he is fully aware of the demands on him to add silverware to the Anfield trophy cabinet as Liverpool go in search of a 11th League Cup at Wembley this weekend
Arne Slot says he is fully aware of the demands on him to add silverware to the Anfield trophy cabinet as Liverpool go in search of an 11th League Cup at Wembley this weekend.
The Reds will meet Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup showpiece on Sunday afternoon aiming to retain the trophy they lifted just 13 months ago, against a Magpies side whose last domestic piece of silver came 70 years ago.
Slot admits the expectations to win are always present at a club the size of Liverpool and while he talked up the fine margins that sometimes separate teams on such occasions, he knows there is pressure to add to the lengthy honours’ list.
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“I think expectations are always there, yes, it is a part of this club, part of the history of this club and part of inheriting a quality squad as we have,” Slot says.
“Maybe winning it is a bit too much if you talk about expectation but definitely competing for it, because winning is always also about small margins. The expectation was definitely there to compete, not immediately my thoughts were of winning it but I knew that I had to compete.
“Again, it is the most important game of the season because it is the next one, so yeah it will feel for us the same, World Cup final, League Cup final, FA Cup final, Champions League final, a final on its own is always incredibly important but you can use big words for it but we find it very important and you already saw this in my lineup for both semi-finals.
“I also saw that almost every manager has worked here for five, six, seven, eight, nine years, so it helps if you are here for years rather than months [to win trophies].”
Slot adds: “I do know what it would mean for this club to win the Premier League, but no one told me how much it would mean to win the League Cup. But I am clear I know what it means for our players and our staff. Like I said, you only play finals to win. I think that is for you guys to judge in four or five years…If I had only won the League Cup, I don’t think you would write a book about me! But it would be a good start.”