Arne Slott might just need to read Unai Emery’s book, as the Liverpool manager was once again guilty of the same hypocrisy in his program notes ahead of the match against Crystal Palace, which has been a key feature of his interviews and press conferences in recent weeks.
“Needless to say, our recent form has not been up to the standards that you expect of us or that we expect of ourselves.
“Of course, this is a huge disappointment, especially given the positive start we had to the season.
“From our point of view, there is no excuse. Yes, we are aware of the reason and we will discuss it, but one thing we cannot do is use it as an excuse.
“Our responsibility is to recognize what is happening and to make things right. We have no other choice.”
It is very difficult to imagine him cultivating a “no excuses” culture in his dressing room, as he has done nothing but make excuses behind closed doors for his team’s four consecutive Premier League defeats.
Ever since he fretted over the number of long balls Manchester United fired from low blocks, he has been at pains to point out that it was not a criticism of Ruben Amorim, but apparently believes that is what caused the ensuing uproar, rather than the reality of the public simply thinking it was a pathetic excuse.
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So was his very strange frustration with the manager making drastic changes to his starting line-up to face Liverpool. It’s like they’re trying to get him.
After the Brentford defeat, Slott listed the tagline “This is no excuse” on his list of excuses.
“Of the last six games we’ve played, five have been away, which doesn’t help when we’re in good form.”
Liverpool had their best away result last season, beating both Palace and Brentford away this time, both of whom they lost to. Although they did lose to Chelsea last season, they had already won the title, so the situation was completely dire.
Slott then referred to stone-cold manager Jurgen Klopp’s typical defeat softening by pointing out that the team had “only two days rest”, before lamenting the “soft penalty” awarded to Brentford, rather than suggesting that his captain, arguably one of the greatest Premier League defenders of all time, should not play a lazy foot.
And to suggest that the penalty for the supposed foul on Kodi Gakpo should have been awarded to them, too, if it had been awarded, is the kind of ‘balancing the call’ argument we would have had under Slott’s obvious intelligence and a player with the refreshing objectivity that was a key feature of his first season at Anfield, but has now given way to a dizzying back-to-the-wall view.
“It’s definitely also about whether we make a big change in the summer. I don’t think it’s surprising that something like this happens more or less. But we didn’t expect to lose four in a row. It’s always a little bumpy road when you make a change.”
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He speaks as if Liverpool were some kind of feeder club, a small fry whose assets had been plundered and Slott left to pick up the pieces. Trent Alexander-Arnold aside, they chose to buy and sell those players.
I understand that while Slott is listing these excuses that aren’t excuses, he may be asked why he thinks Liverpool’s form has declined. And he also freely admits that they didn’t defend well, didn’t take advantage of chances and weren’t that good overall.
But certainly, if he wants to create a “no excuses” environment, his best bet is not to “talk to” his players, but to nip them in the bud, as he suggests he would do in his program notes. Don’t even acknowledge them.
Because we don’t know anyone on this planet who can hear a slot excuse in a press conference, hear him talk about that excuse again in a team meeting, and then, on some level, “not use that excuse.”
When asked about Aston Villa’s injury crisis at the end of the 2023/2024 season, Emery gave the correct answer.
“Excuses are not how I think. I don’t usually talk about ‘what if’s. We just have to play. We have to accept each result and enjoy the moment. My aim is to send the same message to the players and supporters: Enjoy. If you find something through excuses, you are wrong.”
