Liverpool boss Arne Slot has praised Aston Villa’s turnaround in form while his own side endure a slump which has seen them lose six in a row in domestic competitions
Aston Villa’s dramatic turnaround in form doesn’t surprise Liverpool manager Arne Slot. Unai Emery’s squad didn’t manage to secure a win in their first six matches across all competitions, but they’ve since claimed victory in six of their last seven games.
Their recent winning streak was only interrupted by an unexpected defeat at Go Ahead Eagles, with victories over Bologna, Fulham, Feyenoord, and Burnley preceding the October international break.
Wins against Tottenham in the capital and Manchester City at home were achieved either side of their third Europa League match in Deventer, before setting their sights on Anfield.
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Liverpool, their opponents, are hoping to avoid a fifth consecutive league loss for the first time since September 1953. Incredibly, they’re the first team in English top-flight history to win their opening five matches of a season and then lose the following four.
While no team in the Premier League is currently on a longer losing streak than Liverpool (four matches), no team is on a longer winning streak than Villa (also four). The Villans could make history as only the second team in top-flight history to fail to win any of their first five games of a season and then win five consecutively – following Preston North End in 1936–37.
While many might believe that Villa’s best shot at a result against Liverpool on Saturday night lies in direct football and long balls, Slot was quick to point out other threats. This was evident in their impressive victory over Manchester City last weekend.
“Chelsea played their game, playing it out from the back, and we didn’t win that one as well,” Slot commented when asked about potentially dealing with fewer long balls against Villa and then Man City.
“Again, when people ask me after the game, ‘why was it difficult?’ I will try to explain why it was difficult. I will answer why. People don’t ask me to come up with excuses, and then I give an answer.
“I try to explain why a match is difficult, and it was only for the first time after Manchester United because the games before that, I felt a little bit stupid to say so because I wasn’t 100 per cent sure if everyone was already noticing what we were noticing.
“I underestimate a lot of analysts throughout the country, but if it happens after the 10th game, and nine of them were focused on long balls, it is fair that if you ask me, ‘why was it difficult?’ – without opening the eyes of the opponents.
“These two teams we face now use the ball more out from the back, but they are also really good at it. I think City is a high-pressing team, but I did see Villa being able to play through that multiple times.
“If I am 100 per cent correct, and I think I am, they won a game by a set piece. So, that’s the importance of a set piece.”
Discussing Villa’s remarkable upturn in results, Slot added: “It’s a sign that they did it better than we did it! If you don’t win in the beginning, people may talk about not having the same team as last season, but then they start to win, and then everything is very positive again.
“Whereas with us, it is exactly the opposite. We are both on the same points and, apart from Arsenal, many teams are in and around the same positions, which shows how hard the Premier League is.
“They’ve done very well in the last five, six, seven or eight games. That did not come as a surprise because even in the games they lost before, you could already see the signs that they are a very good team.
“Their playing signs are very good, and normally – although the run with us is quite long – every time you lose a game but create more chances than the other team, they decided not to make a habit out of that.
“Let’s hope we don’t make a habit out of having more chances than the opponent, but not win.”
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