“Going to Sound Strange”: Arne Slot Reveals “Simple Reason” for Bournemoutha’s PL Success & Why He Rest Key Players Against PSV
A few days after their 3-2 loss to PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Champions League, Arne Slot is preparing his team for another demanding test as Liverpool head to AFC Bournemouth for their Premier League fixture on Saturday.
Bournemouth currently hold seventh place in the league but are only four points adrift of third-placed Nottingham Forest. Andoni Iraola’s side has also been formidable at home, suffering just two defeats this season.
“It’s a big one,” Slot told reporters in his pre-match press conference, “and this is probably going to sound strange [but] I knew this already when we played the second half against them in our home game.
“We were 3-0 up at half-time and I was expecting a second half where we could just control the game, have the ball a bit and maybe score the fourth one – but they just kept on going at us for 45 minutes and that showed me the character of the team.”
“Since then they have been outstanding […] and afterwards, they have beaten so many strong teams and there is a simple reason for that: a lot of quality.”
Slot praised his managerial opponent too, naming Iraola as “a fantastic manager” with “a great game plan.”
“The Dutchman added that “in every department, [they are] a very good and strong team that deserve to be where they are – maybe they even deserve a bit higher than the position that they are at the moment.”
When asked whether the decision to field a rotated squad in the midweek UEFA Champions League fixture was to preserve key players for the demanding clash against Bournemouth, Slot confirmed that “we rested them not because of the Bournemouth game; we rested them more for the long term.”
But the 46-year-old accepted that physicality will play a key role on Saturday, telling reporters that “if you can’t compete with them in that aspect, then you need luck to win the game. And then you need a special moment or a special save, or a lot of special saves from Ali [Alisson] to win the game.”
In other news, Carragher “Worried” as Liverpool “Gamble” Could Cost Them Premier League Title
