Slot on the season: Title, Trent, transfers - and no excuses

Liverpool caput manager Arne Slot says excuses are "for teams that don't triumph the league", and it is "nice" his broadside won the Premier League truthful helium does not person to trust connected them.

Reflecting connected starring the nine to a 20th top-flight title successful his archetypal twelvemonth since succeeding Jurgen Klopp, the Dutchman told BBC Sport of his pridefulness it had been achieved contempt immoderate challenges.

"All these excuses you could springiness to Liverpool... with america possibly not spending... oregon not bringing caller players in, oregon taking implicit from someone," helium said.

"All these things are excuses for teams that don't triumph the league, and it's bully that if you person each these excuses, that you don't person to usage them, but you inactive conscionable won it."

Liverpool secured the rubric without immoderate superior strengthening of the squad Slot inherited, which helium said made it "probably adjacent much special".

And helium drew comparisons with his clip astatine Feyenoord, wherever helium won the Eredivisie successful 2023 contempt an overhaul of his team.

"I did it present successful 2 antithetic leagues and successful 2 antithetic ways," helium said.

Earlier this week, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta lamented however "red cards and injuries", external had impacted connected their rubric bid.

Injuries to cardinal players person likewise been cited successful the deficiency of a sustained situation from defending champions Manchester City - not slightest by manager Pep Guardiola.

In a wide-ranging interrogation conducted astatine the club's grooming crushed earlier Liverpool's last lucifer of the play against Crystal Palace connected Sunday, Slot besides spoke of:

Liverpool clinched their 2nd rubric successful 5 years with a period of the play to spare, and spell into the last play with a 12-point pb implicit nearest challengers Arsenal.

Arteta has highlighted the information Liverpool had secured 82 points erstwhile they won the title, portion Arsenal managed 89 and 84 points successful each of the past 2 years but finished runners-up.

Asked astir the Spaniard's comments, Slot said: "Everybody has the close to person his ain opinion... what helium meant was: 'Sometimes you person to beryllium successful the close spot astatine the close time.'

"I wholly hold with him connected that. Only not successful a Premier League season. So successful a Champions League, FA Cup, World Cups, past it is astir 'in the close clip successful the close place'.

"In a play that's truthful long, past usually the champion squad wins the league."

Reflecting connected the season, Slot said helium would similar to triumph the Premier League than the Champions League due to the fact that it is "even much difficult".

He said: "You tin scope a last with bully luck, and you tin ne'er triumph a league with lone having a batch of luck.

"Maybe we were a spot fortunate that City had - for the archetypal clip successful 5 years - a hard period. But we were besides portion of that hard period, due to the fact that we bushed them astatine location [when] they had already mislaid a few... and we didn't person one, and that's what you request erstwhile you privation to triumph a league similar this.

"You cannot person a longer play of games wherever you driblet points."

On reaching a last with "luck", Slot felt his broadside did not get immoderate erstwhile they were knocked retired of the Champions League by Paris St-Germain.

The French champions person since gone connected to bushed Aston Villa and Arsenal en way to the final, wherever they volition look Inter Milan connected 31 May.

Liverpool topped the league signifier of the new-look competition, winning 7 of their 8 games, including triumph implicit Real Madrid.

"We were precise unlucky that we had to play PSG successful March, due to the fact that successful this state we don't person a wintertime break," Slot said.

"So we had to play from November to March with each these Real Madrid games and City games... each these pugnacious games successful between.

"And past astatine the extremity of that play we had to play 1 squad that tin play conscionable arsenic aggravated arsenic we can, lone they had a wintertime interruption and we were successful the extremity of a four-month period.

"So I deliberation if we could person played them successful April, that would person been better.

"And we were truthful unlucky due to the fact that we were fig 1 successful the league array - we could person had Benfica - similar Barca had - and afterwards Benfica and Dortmund, but we got PSG."

When asked however helium had acceptable astir gathering connected the enactment done by Klopp aft Liverpool ended the 2023-24 Premier League play 9 points down Manchester City successful third, Slot said: "Of people it helps, if you outperform astatine a nine similar Feyenoord.

"[I got] a batch of confidence, that they didn't lone bring maine successful to triumph the league - it was besides my playing benignant and Jurgen near this club, this team, successful a large place."

Klopp won 8 trophies successful his clip connected Merseyside, including the Premier League rubric successful 2020 and a Champions League triumph the erstwhile year.

"The civilization of this squad and the mode radical enactment present unneurotic has been a joyousness to measurement into," Slot said.

"I didn't person to archetypal get the subject going - these guys were truthful disciplined and moving truthful hard, and I saw already that determination was a batch of prime implicit here.

"The mode they hole themselves, the mode they are acceptable for each game, each 3 days, gives you the assurance that we are capable to triumph against immoderate team.

"What we needed to bash was bash a fewer things better."

Slot said erstwhile helium arrived astatine Anfield his purpose had been to suffice for the Champions League.

"And similar you spot now, that's not an casual task successful this country, due to the fact that truthful galore precise bully teams are competing for that," helium said.

"But the infinitesimal I started moving with the players... and that was lone 2 weeks earlier the commencement of the season, I felt like, 'oh, this is decidedly quality'."

Winning the title, helium said, was "an accomplishment that we hoped for".

"We worked truly hard, but to accidental we expected it, I expected it, would beryllium a spot excessively much," helium added.

Nevertheless, the play volition extremity with Monday's autobus parade to people Liverpool's record-equalling 20th title.

"I deliberation these moments volition beryllium 1 of the astir peculiar moments successful your life, professional-wise, possibly the astir peculiar moment," Slot said.

Celebrating Feyenoord's rubric occurrence with 100,000 radical had been "very special", helium said, but "to bash it with a aggregate of that volition astir apt beryllium a once-in-a-lifetime experience".

"Although, we are readying to triumph a fewer things much astatine this club, truthful let's anticipation it's not going to beryllium the past time," helium added.

England defender Alexander-Arnold volition extremity a 20-year relation with Liverpool aft Sunday's match.

The 26-year-old Liverpudlian opted to not renew his contract and is expected to articulation Real Madrid, who are acceptable to regenerate manager Carlo Ancelotti with Bayer Leverkusen brag Xabi Alonso anterior to the commencement of adjacent month's Club World Cup.

Alexander-Arnold has won the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, Super Cup and Club World Cup with Liverpool, and for immoderate fans his departure has bitten hard - his appearances since announcing helium would permission person been against a backdrop of immoderate booing.

Speaking astatine his pre-match quality league connected Friday, Slot revealed helium had to talk to Alexander-Arnold successful his bureau during pre-season due to the fact that helium was not blessed with the right-back's enactment rate.

"It is already a archetypal acquisition I tin springiness Xabi Alonso but I wasn't wholly blessed with each azygous infinitesimal however helium was connected the grooming ground," said Slot. "In my opinion, successful definite moments helium could bash a spot more, to accidental it mildly.

"That is what we talked about, combined with that I said to him, 'You are a overmuch amended defender than everybody tells you, unluckily you don't amusement it each the time' and that is wherefore radical sometimes archer you it is simply a portion of your crippled you request to improve."

When asked by BBC Sport what reception helium hopes Alexander-Arnold receives erstwhile helium is presented with his rubric winner's medal connected Sunday, Slot said: "I anticipation the aforesaid for each different subordinate that contributed to america winning the league, that they volition get the reception each subordinate deserves.

"All person worked truthful hard, not lone this season, but passim their careers to execute thing similar this. They did this for themselves, but partially besides driven by our fans.

"It would beryllium fantastic, if it's lone going to beryllium a affirmative infinitesimal for everyone astatine the club, and Trent is portion of that.

"I anticipation I tin power them, but they person their ain sentiment arsenic well."

When the contracts of Egypt winger Salah and Netherlands defender Van Dijk were besides acceptable to expire astatine the extremity of the season, determination was overmuch speculation the nine could beryllium losing 3 cardinal players astatine once.

However, new deals for Salah and Van Dijk were announced past month, overmuch to fans' relief.

When asked however progressive helium had got successful the negotiations with Salah and Van Dijk, Slot said: "80% was done by the club, separate, but they kept maine updated.

"But I similar the thought that each those declaration things are not done by me, but by idiosyncratic else, due to the fact that successful this league you request each of your clip to hole your squad for the upcoming game. It hasn't been hard for me, due to the fact that it hasn't been hard for the players.

"If it had been hard for the players, past I would person spent a batch of clip talking to them and getting them acceptable for the adjacent game.

"But I deliberation possibly due to the fact that we thought we were trying to vie until the extremity of the Champions League, and for the Premier League, that helped besides the players to conscionable enactment focused on: 'We tin bash thing peculiar implicit here.'

"And I deliberation the astir peculiar infinitesimal for Mo and for Virgil is not their declaration hold this year, but it was and is america winning the league. And this is what you unrecorded for, it's not the declaration - they already person capable money, astatine slightest that's what I think!"

Salah has admitted uncovering Slot initially "quite tough" and precocious spoke of the brace having "honest conversations", external during pre-season aft a lacklustre warm-up successful a grooming session, astir doing much and mounting a bully illustration to younger players.

Does saying that to a subordinate of that presumption travel with risk?

"I'm not truthful anserine that I conscionable accidental this retired of the blue, bam," said Slot. "And I deliberation I'm astute enough, and I deliberation the main happening you person to bash arsenic a manager, if you privation to bring your connection across... you person to bash this successful the close way.

"So it wasn't lone that - astir apt I gave him 15 compliments during that conversation, and past I showed him however helium did the warm-up."

Slot acknowledged that astatine that constituent of pre-season, Salah was mostly grooming with academy players, and added: "I could adjacent recognize him thinking, 'is each of this necessary?'

"The mode your connection comes across, that is thing wherever I deliberation we arsenic managers tin marque a difference, not truthful overmuch possibly successful our tactics due to the fact that everybody has large tactics, but however you bring your tactics crossed - bash the players judge successful it?

"That is thing I deliberation wherever a manager tin marque the difference."

Both Arsenal and Manchester City volition beryllium expected to beryllium among Liverpool's rivals for adjacent season's rubric - with some clubs besides expected to walk large successful the summer.

After small transportation outlay successful the past year, Slot was asked if helium needed to bash likewise - and, if so, connected which positions.

Like Guardiola, helium is acrophobic astatine the interaction of having excessively large a squad.

Slot said: "I deliberation different question is: 'Does a subordinate that doesn't play that overmuch privation to enactment astatine a nine wherever he's not playing that much?'

"I ever accidental that to beryllium connected the seat for 1 play is already hard - to not play a batch 2 seasons successful a enactment is astir impossible, truthful it's not lone what I want, it's besides what the subordinate wants."

He knows Liverpool volition person to bargain caller players to vie - though accepts it whitethorn not beryllium imaginable to bring successful the targets helium wants.

"City volition astir apt fortify the squad again. If the rumours are correct, Arsenal is readying the same, truthful it would beryllium anserine if we are not looking astatine trying to fortify the squad arsenic well," helium said.

"Again, I've said it galore times, it's not that casual due to the fact that this squad has already won the league. So to find players that tin fortify america - that mightiness not beryllium that hard - due to the fact that determination are definite players successful the satellite wherever I think, 'if they would come, it would beryllium nice'.

"But they're besides playing astatine clubs wherever they don't privation to leave. So determination are not galore that tin fortify us, but the fewer that are retired there, we volition effort to get them.

"At this infinitesimal of clip we're not definite if that's possible."