Arne Slot believes Liverpool will continue to improve as the season progresses and is confident his summer signings will grow into their roles as familiarity and consistency increase.
The Premier League champions sit fourth in the table ahead of Thursday’s clash with Leeds and are unbeaten in seven games in all competitions, with recent performances suggesting a gradual return to form after a turbulent start to the campaign.
Slot has seen encouraging signs from new arrivals such as Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike and is convinced there is more to come from them in the second half of the season.
Asked whether those players can still improve, he said: “Yeah, yeah, for sure. That’s not only for the new players. If you bring in a lot of new players and a lot of players leave, usually at least if I do my job well, they will play better football the longer they are here and when they have more training time and playing time.”
The Liverpool head coach stressed the importance of continuity, pointing to recent history as evidence that time together breeds success. “History has shown many times the longer players play together the bigger chance you have of winning something,” he said.
“If you add players to what you have, there is a serious chance of improving. If you replace, like we have done, then it takes time. And usually it gets better after a certain period of time.”
Slot also acknowledged the impact injuries have had on his squad, revealing that some absentees will not feature again this season. “Unfortunately Giovanni Leoni we won’t see him this season and Alex [Isak] will take a long time before we see him again,” he said, adding that the financial context around departures and arrivals was significant, even if results are only now beginning to reflect that investment.
Despite Liverpool’s improved form, recent wins over Tottenham and Wolves were marked by nervy endings, something Slot attributed to the fine margins that define football.
“It tells you how important goals are in a low-scoring sport,” he said. “A goal can change momentum which is what we saw last week and [on Saturday].”
He felt Liverpool had largely controlled both matches until conceding. “In both games, until the moment we conceded it was the performance you would like from a Liverpool team,” Slot said.
“We did not score our first two chances. Goals have a massive impact on the momentum of a game. That is what has been shown in the last two games of ours.”
Slot added that managing games more effectively is closely linked to squad depth and the options available from the bench, particularly given the current injury list. “One way of game management is the ability to make substitutions,” he said.
“Last year when we were one goal up, a lot of times I brought Wataru Endo in. I have already said, I don’t know if anyone notices it but we miss quite a lot of players. That is why it is so special that the players that are fit bring these results.”
