‘This club has to win trophies’

Arne Slot is keen to write his own name in the annals of Liverpool’s history when they take on Tottenham Hotspur tonight at Anfield.

Slot’s side will be crowned English Premier League champions for a record-equalling 20th time — only Manchester United have breached the mark previously — if they avoid defeat against struggling Tottenham.

“This club has to win trophies,” Slot said of the pressure that comes with managing Liverpool. “The good thing is most managers work here a long time, so you have a few chances to win trophies,” he added.

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Arne Slot

The Reds’ last title five years ago came during the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning Anfield was empty when the trophy was presented due to lockdown restrictions. And, with Liverpool travelling to Chelsea for their next league game, Slot acknowledged there is extra pressure to seal the title on home turf. 

“It’s a big responsibility. We are aware that the last time this club won the league was during Covid. So everybody is looking forward to Sunday,” Slot told reporters on Friday. 

“We know there’s still a job to do. We need at least one point. Our fans know as well. When they come to the stadium they have to support us in the best possible way as they have done all season,” he added.

However, despite facing Tottenham, who sit in 16th place, Slot knows it won’t be an easy game. “I am not getting carried away. We have faced Tottenham three times and I know how hard it is to beat them.”

Meanwhile, Tottenham would be wary of a equalling a record of their own, albeit an unwanted one. If they succumb to the Reds, it would match their record of top-flight losses in a single season (19).

As such, manager Ange Postecoglou has tried to reinvigorate the players by reciting to them the ‘stonecutter’s creed’ — a story of perseverance.

“Only the 101st blow cracks the rock, but no one sees the other 100 blows. What it means is, if you keep doing the right thing, the impact it has is unseen, until it [the breakthrough moment] comes,” said Postecoglou of his analogy with which he aims to break the club’s culture of perennial underachievement.

Highlights from Reds’s last EPL title (2019-20)

31
No. of games it took to seal title; an EPL record

32
Most wins, along with Man City (2017-18), in single season

18
No. of points that separated the winner from their closest challenger; second-highest in EPL history along with Man Utd (1999-00)

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