Arne Slot has said Liverpool are getting closer to the team he ‘wants them to be’.
The Premier League champions are seventh in the table after a disappointing start to the campaign, but have increased confidence after back-to-back wins over Inter Milan and Brighton.
After successive wins and clean sheets, Slot said Liverpool are getting to a level he is happy with, ahead of Saturday’s trip to Tottenham.
“Winning always gives a good feeling and a spirit after so many changes in the summer. The league table is so close together that winning or losing matters a lot,” he said at his pre-match press conference.
“The main focus for us is to build on the last five games. We were solid defensively. That’s a good base, combined with the players getting more and more ready to compete at Premier League intensity. I think there is more coming from us.”
“We are getting closer to the team I want us to be. That has gone with ups and downs. For me, that makes complete sense because of the changes we made in the summer and we made them on purpose because we thought we needed them. You have to adapt, so it takes time. We have been very unlucky with refereeing decisions. Even on Saturday, we missed out on a red card, but it didn’t hurt us.
“We deserved the wins in the start, but still, it’s small margins. We have to make sure this team gets to a level where refereeing decisions don’t influence this team.”
One player who has struggled to replicate last season’s level is Ibrahima Konate, who also faces an uncertain future as his contract expires in the summer. Slot defended the centre-back and believes Konate has been unfortunate this season.
“For centre backs, that’s not an uncommon thing to be at the crime scene if you concede goals. He’s been unlucky a couple of times. We play a low-scoring game. It has an immediate impact on the result. Recently, he’s not been at he crime scene and that is how we prefer to see him.
“We are less vulnerable than we were at other stages of the season.”
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