Following a 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest over the weekend, Liverpool return to Europe and face PSV in the Champions League, and for a struggling group of players and manager Arne Slot there’s a sense
they have to prove they still have what it takes.
Not because of the Forest loss, though. At least according to Slot, needing to prove yourself is the simple reality of being at a top club. Whether you won the last game or lost it; whether you performed well or poorly; every game you have to prove yourself again.
“That has nothing to do with a situation like this,” Slot said when asked if the current run of poor results means he needs to prove himself again after last season’s success. “I think every day you have to prove yourself if you are working at a club of this level.
“You cannot say we won the league so everything is okay. If you work at this level the next game is always the most important and you have to prove yourself every time. That’s for me, that’s for the players, and that is also what we like about this environment.
“You can never rest, you always have to keep going if things go well but also if things don’t go well. So yes, I always have to prove myself to the fans and have to prove myself to myself and to the players and to everyone involved in the football club.”
There is perhaps some truth in that, but with their title defence in ruins and top four and re-qualifying for the Champions League an unlikely target if their form continues, one can’t help but wonder if it’s a full reflection of the current pressure Slot is facing.
Regardless, winning against PSV with a strong performance—and following it up with a strong performance and a win against West Ham in the league on Sunday—might at least mean Slot faces fewer questions about the need to prove himself again next week.
