Arne Slot Admits the Absence of Real Madrid Star Has Meant a Change to the Liverpool Gameplan

The Liverpool manager has been previewing the highly anticipated clash at Anfield on Wednesday.

With European champions Real Madrid set to visit, it marks his first opportunity to go head-to-head with the legendary Carlo Ancelotti.

However, for Arne Slot, the focus was on more immediate concerns as he spoke to the gathered press at Anfield on Tuesday afternoon, building anticipation for the evening’s blockbuster encounter.

“Now my family is coming over so if I hurry up a bit I have to get the groceries for them as well and then go home!” laughs the Reds boss.

It reflects the current mood among Liverpool fans. Rather than feeling tense or apprehensive, the visit of the Spanish champions is being met with a sense of calm anticipation.

Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool’s Champions League journeys often ended with Madrid. However, Arne Slot will hope that this latest encounter with the Spanish giants symbolises a fresh start for his tenure, one that has seen his team rise to an eight-point lead at the Premier League summit while excelling in Europe.

Having suffered defeat in seven of their last eight meetings with Real Madrid—including the 2018 and 2022 finals and a humbling in the 2022/23 round of 16—some Liverpool players may view this match as an opportunity to settle old scores.

A victory would not only serve as redemption but also add to Real’s challenges in defending their Champions League title.

For Slot, though, there is none of that baggage. “I wasn’t aware of the fact we played them so many times.,” he says. “I was aware of the fact that two years ago they – I say ‘they’ because I was not part of it – were 2-0 up.

“I used that game to my team at Feyenoord at the time to show that Real Madrid always find a way of winning a game. When Liverpool were 2-0 up, no-one would have expected that game to end up being 5-2 for Real Madrid but that is what makes them so special, that they can turn games around like that.

“They can win it in different ways and if it is difficult for them they can still win a game and that is probably one of the reasons – apart from them having so much quality – that they won this tournament a lot.

“If we are fortunate enough to be a goal up or even more up (on Wednesday) we still are aware of the fact, especially because of what we experienced two years ago, that the game will never be done until the referee blows his whistle. In general it is like this but I think we all feel it against Real Madrid a bit more than to some other clubs we face. Do they have different aura in Europe? I think they might do.”

Even so, the arrival of the European Super League proponents might not even be the most significant match at Anfield this week. On Sunday, Liverpool will host Manchester City, presenting an opportunity to move 11 points clear of the Premier League champions after just 13 games.

But Slot knows the importance of the occasion. “It is a big game,” he says. “I think Real Madrid, Manchester City dominated Europe and the league for a few years now combined with Liverpool, so it is a special week for us especially because we play two times at home. But when this week is done another big week is coming with Newcastle away and the Merseyside derby.

“If you are at Liverpool you always play big games but, yes, these next two are special because these three clubs have dominated the league and Europe recently.”

Not that Slot has any fears his team might have one eye on their weekend assignment. “I think we gave the answer on Sunday at Southampton where you could argue, if the next games are Real Madrid and City, are the players really ready to perform or are they looking at the next game?” he says.

“They didn’t look at the next game. We are not distracted by next opponents.”

Liverpool have enjoyed a perfect start to their Champions League campaign this season, winning all four matches. In contrast, Real Madrid have struggled to find consistency, suffering defeats to Lille and, most recently, at home to AC Milan.

The Spanish side will be missing several key players due to injuries, including Vinicius Junior, who scored the decisive goal in the 2022 final. Slot acknowledges that the absence of the Brazilian forward has prompted adjustments to Liverpool’s game plan.

“We approach it differently as a new player is going to play for them with different qualities,” says the Reds head coach. “We knew when Vinicius would have started, I had to prepare them for him and Mbappe, they are probably the main attacking threat for Real.

“Now with Vinicius not playing, we have to expect something else. I think he played almost every game for Madrid so it’s quite difficult for us now to understand what we can expect. What we do know what to expect is 11 players with great quality and we try to prepare our players in the best possible way.

“Will Bellingham play as a 10? Will he play from the left? Will he play from the right? Will Endrick come in? They have so many options. Now it’s a bit more difficult for us to see what they are going to do. If Vinicius was fit I could probably have come up with their line-up, now it’s a surprise for us maybe. The thing we do know is we play against 11 great players and a very good team.”

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