Liverpool are on the brink of securing the Premier League title with five matches to spare, holding a commanding 13-point lead over second-placed Arsenal. In fact, Jürgen Klopp’s successor, Arne Slot, and his team could be crowned champions as early as Matchweek 33 if Arsenal lose to Ipswich (8 PM, April 20) and Liverpool defeat struggling Leicester (10:30 PM, April 20).
Yet, despite the growing excitement, head coach Arne Slot says he has made no celebration plans. In a pre-match press conference, the Dutchman revealed that he intends to return to the Netherlands to spend the upcoming Bank Holiday with his family—regardless of the weekend’s results, link VeboTV.
“Right now, I’m not thinking about anything other than beating Leicester,” said Slot. “After that, we have two days off, and I’ll be back in the Netherlands. That’s my life. First, we focus on the win—then we’ll see what happens.”
Slot Dismisses Talk of Early Title Hopes
Slot, who has led Liverpool to a dominant position in his debut season, insisted he hasn’t once thought about the possibility of winning the title early:
“To be honest, I haven’t. I know it may sound hard to believe, but it’s true. I live in the present. People always say to enjoy the journey in football, but for a manager, the only thing you can focus on is the next game—then the next one, and so on.”
Slot Responds to Claims of a “Weaker Premier League”
During the same press conference, Slot also addressed recent suggestions that Liverpool’s dominance is a result of a decline in the Premier League’s overall quality this season. The 46-year-old was quick to reject the notion, pointing to Arsenal’s win over Real Madrid and Aston Villa’s close Champions League tie against PSG as evidence of the league’s ongoing strength.
“The beauty of being a pundit is you can spin everything either positively or negatively. But we don’t need Arsenal to win the Champions League to know that the Premier League is still the toughest and most competitive league in the world.
“Aston Villa, who are sixth in the table, pushed PSG to the edge. They deserved extra time. That’s proof of how strong the Premier League is.”
Slot added that quality can’t be measured by comparing points tallies across seasons:
“Some may argue that this year’s Premier League isn’t as exciting. But I don’t really care about opinions. The only thing that matters to me is the league table—and I hope I’ll still enjoy looking at it for a few more games.”
“Every Team Has Players Good Enough for Liverpool”
Slot went further, claiming the depth of talent in English football is what sets the Premier League apart from other top European leagues “ Bảng xếp hạng “:
“Just look at the teams we’ve faced—Wolves, Southampton, even Plymouth in the FA Cup. West Ham have players who could easily play for Liverpool. You don’t see that in Serie A, La Liga, or the Eredivisie.
“That’s what makes this league so appealing. It’s why broadcasters pay so much, and it’s why we’re able to attract top players.”
