Arne Slot said only Champions League qualification will be acceptable for Liverpool this season in what he called the toughest campaign of his career “by a mile”.
The Dutch coach, 47, takes his team to Sunderland on Wednesday evening and will be at least four points away from the Premier League top five, which would be enough to qualify for Europe’s top competition next season.
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Slot expects dropping into the Europa League to eventually affect spending in future transfer windows, citing the summer of 2024 when only Federico Chiesa was bought after a season in Uefa’s second-tier competition.
“Acceptable? Yes. If we don’t have Champions League football, it’s definitely not been an acceptable season,” Slot said.
“When I arrived here and only signed Federico Chiesa, it was after a Europa League season. That does have an enormous impact on the way this club is run. I am completely aware of that.”
The Uefa coefficient this season for English clubs – judged on how they perform in Europe – means fifth place in the Premier League is likely to mean Champions League qualification. Liverpool have put themselves in a position to compete for a place in the top five, despite a slump in results over autumn where they lost nine out of 12 games.
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Slot describes this campaign as the toughest he has faced. He won the Dutch title with Feyenoord before winning the Premier League in his first campaign in English football.
When asked if this was his toughest season, Slot said: “By a mile. All the other seasons I have managed, there was only positives. I don’t think I have ever lost two games in a row [until now] [sic]. It’s an exception for me, I am not used to it.
“I don’t think we feel we’ve only lost two of our last 17. A draw feels like a loss.
Liverpool’s 2-1 home defeat to Man Utd in October was their fourth defeat in a row, and third in the league – Carl Recine/Getty Images
“The players know what the standards of Liverpool mean and we aren’t performing to those standards. They feel that disappointment.”
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Slot will be without Dominik Szoboszlai for the trip to Sunderland because the Hungary midfielder was sent off against Manchester City. With Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong already out, Slot will decide between Wataru Endo and Curtis Jones to face a team who are unbeaten at home this season.
Joe Gomez is only just returning to full training and might not be risked, with Liverpool also looking to keep players fit as they are in the Champions League last 16.
“It’s different to lead the team after a loss or multiple losses and draws than a win but I don’t think anybody in this building thinks I’ve completely changed,” Slot added. “There’s still a possibility where we can do something special this season.”