Arne Slot sent Champions League message as 3 players lead to Liverpool change

Liverpool might have turned a corner in recent weeks but there is still more work to be done for Arne Slot and his players to overtake Manchester United and Chelsea

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Liverpool has found some form in recent matches, though there is still more work to be done by Arne Slot and his players. And with the race for the Champions League places ongoing, that improvement needs to continue.

Both Manchester United and Chelsea have also done well in recent weeks, and only two out of the three teams are expected to make the top five in the Premier League, which should be enough to make UEFA's top competition.

"I think they have [been better] and I think individuals may have turned a corner," Sky Sports pundit and former Arsenal striker Alan Smith told Best Betting Sites. "Milos Kerkez seemed to do well at the weekend, with a good assist.

"Florian Wirtz is now achieving more consistency, and we’re starting to see why they spent so much money. So better times for them, and I think they’ve got a good chance of finishing in a Champions League spot, fifth position maybe.

"They’re hunting down Chelsea, and I think maybe they’ll just pip them to that fifth spot. But it’s looking better for them.

"Ibrahima Konate has shown that he’s a top-class player. Obviously, he had a difficult start to the season, made a lot of mistakes, but he’s settled down now, and he’s got a great partnership with Virgil van Dijk, who has been speaking highly of him.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.(Image: Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)

"So, I would imagine if he wants to stay, Liverpool would want him to stay. So, they would want to come to an agreement because finding a replacement for somebody like that costs a lot of money, and you’re not always sure it’s going to work.

"But Arne Slot, that will encourage him, the fact that Konate is now showing much better form."

Having won the Premier League last season, Slot has overseen a transition to a new team in this campaign. But with things looking up, there is still a Champions League spot and two pieces of silverware to play for.

"If we don’t have Champions League football, it’s definitely not been an acceptable season," the Reds boss admitted recently. "When I arrived here we could only sign Federico Chiesa and that was after a Europa League season.

"That does have an enormous impact on the way this club is run, that is clear. We are completely aware."

"That is a difficult question for me to answer because I don’t decide on my future," the Dutchman said when asked if he would still be in a job if Liverpool didn't make the Champions League.

"The only thing I do know is that it happened before, and recently, and it didn’t affect the future of that manager. But that doesn’t guarantee anything of course.

"Maybe somewhere else it is not only about results, but mainly. And at some clubs, they also look at the progress the players make, the progress the team makes, and the circumstances are sometimes taken into account.

"That is not at all clubs, but I think I am working at a club that does look at those things, as it has shown that in the past when the club did not qualify for the Champions League."