Arne Slot has warned Liverpool’s Premier League rivals that they have not seen the best version of his side yet – despite the fact they have won 10 of his first 11 games in charge.
The Reds arrived in Leipzig on Tuesday night hoping to make it a perfect three from three in the Champions League after convincing wins over Italian sides AC Milan and Bologna. But the Premier League leaders are ‘not there yet’ according to new head coach Slot.
‘You cannot ask for much more with results but there is always room for improvement,’ said the former Feyenoord boss. ‘I don’t think we outplayed Chelsea (in the 2-1 win on Sunday), we certainly did not – I think they were more dominant than us with the ball.
‘In an ideal world I would have seen us dominate the complete game. We are not there yet. The good thing is, when we faced teams like Chelsea and Manchester United, you saw a team fighting for every centimetre or every moment in the game.
‘I am hoping in the future, hopefully in the near future, we play a game like AC Milan or United and become more dominant than we were against Chelsea. Maybe that says a lot more about Chelsea.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot insists his side can improve despite winning 10 of his first 11 matches
‘I said it before, a lot of people in England made a bit of fun about them investing so much money. In my opinion, they have done so well to bring many talented players in. With such a strong squad and manager, they will be up there in the coming years. Let’s see if I'm right.’
The clash with Leipzig brings an interesting subplot as former boss Jurgen Klopp will start a role at Red Bull on January 1 as head of football. But Marco Rose, boss of Leipzig who are level on points with leaders Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, will not be asking him for advice yet.
‘Kloppo is in Mallorca and is looking after his wife, his dog, his children,’ joked Rose, who played for the German at Mainz. ‘I will do everything, but I won't call Kloppo. He needs some peace and quiet. He is a great personality and a great person. I'm happy that we'll work together again.’
Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, once of this parish, added: ‘I heard he will start from January at Red Bull – it's different, a new job, different to a coach but I am happy he is back, such a name in football, you don't want to forget about him and it is good he stays in football.’
The Premier League leaders have a minor injury crisis with Diogo Jota not making the trip to Germany due to bruised ribs suffered in the win over Chelsea. Conor Bradley, Federico Chiesa, Harvey Elliott and goalkeeper Alisson also remained on Merseyside.