Pep Guardiola sends blunt reminder to Arne Slot after eye-catching Liverpool comments

The Liverpool head coach this week implied that producing an attacking brand of soccer is as important as winning trophies. Guardiola had a mixed view on that stance

Pep Guardiola reminded Arne Slot to most important thing as a coach is to win games, following his comments on style this week(Image: Getty Images)

Pep Guardiola has responded to Arne Slot’s claims that playing with an attractive style is more important than results, by reminding him that losing coaches rarely last long in the Premier League.

Speaking earlier this week in Liverpool’s The Reds Roundtable, alongside Richard Hughes and Billy Hogan, Slot implied the greatest success a manager could have is to implement an entertaining approach.

“As a manager, you can win the league, Champions League, the FA Cup or the League Cup but the biggest thing you can win is that you can play the nicest football to watch,” said the Dutchman.

Guardiola has managed to merge both during his prestigious career at Manchester City, during which he has won six Premier League titles. He has also done this while playing a dominant style.

Asked about Slot’s comments on Friday, before this weekend’s meeting at Anfield, Guardiola said: “If you want to be a manager, it is best to win trophies. Otherwise, you don’t have the chance to play nice football.

“I think everything is related; as much as you win, you play good,” he added. “Now the most important for Arne is to defend your league, your style, to convince your players to try to do it in the way you believe is the best for the players you have, but in the players in your soul you believe. I think this is the most important thing.”

Guardiola said winning matches remains the most important thing for a coach(Image: Getty Images)

Speaking on the topic earlier this week, Jamie Carragher said: “As a manager, his style of football, he wants to be remembered. That's what football he will play his whole career, no matter who he's managing.

“When he leaves Liverpool, yes, trophies are more important. We all know that, and I think Arne Slot knows that.

“But I think the point he's trying to make is he wants to be remembered as a coach who plays a certain sort of style of football, always looking to play what he would deem as the right way,” the ex-defender told Sky Sports.

Slot's comments this week were criticized in certain quarters(Image: Getty Images)

Slot moved to clarify his comments earlier this week, saying: “If you don't play good football, it's [almost] impossible to win something or to achieve something sustainable.

“We never do time-wasting. We always want to press high,” he added, during an interview with Sky Sports.

“We always want to bring the ball out from the back. Unfortunately, we face teams that have a different approach, which is completely fair for them.

“Every team should play their style, which is best equipped for playing against us, and it's shown that we are sometimes struggling with that style.”