Softfootball can confirm Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has made it clear that missing out on Champions League qualification would render the club’s season unacceptable, according to comments shared via Liverpool’s official X account.
Speaking moments after Ryan Gravenberch urged the Reds to keep pushing despite falling behind in the Premier League race, Slot stressed the importance of finishing in the top four.
His statement:
If we don’t have Champions League qualification, then it’s definitely NOT been an acceptable season. When I arrived here we could only sign Chiesa and that was after a Europa League season. I’m completely aware of that
He referenced the limitations faced upon his arrival, noting that Liverpool were only able to sign Federico Chiesa following a Europa League campaign, underlining how vital Champions League football is for the club’s ambitions.
Slot also provided a fitness update on Joe Gomez ahead of Liverpool’s Premier League trip to face Sunderland. The defender has yet to train with the squad, though Slot expects him to return to training for the first time.
he said:
Joe has not trained with us yet, Slot told his pre-match press conference at the AXA Training Centre on Tuesday morning. I’m expecting him to train with us for the first time today. Indeed, if Joe is not ready to start then we are missing four players who have played in that position. But Curtis [Jones] and Wata [Endo] also played in that position this year, so we’ve had six different right full-backs this season.
He admitted that if Gomez is unavailable, Liverpool would be missing four players capable of playing at right-back, forcing continued reliance on makeshift options such as Curtis Jones and Wataru Endo.
Earlier this week, Slot also voiced strong criticism of the officiating following Liverpool’s dramatic 2–1 defeat to Manchester City at Anfield. The Dutchman pointed to what he described as a clear shirt pull by City defender Marc Guéhi on Mohamed Salah, arguing the incident denied Liverpool a clear goalscoring opportunity and should have resulted in a red card.
