Sloter insists top players can still improve

The 20th round of the 2024/25 Premier League will see a highly anticipated battle between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield. Coach Sloter said that all top players still have room for improvement and believes that stability is a very important element.

After Diaz, Gakpo, Salah, Arnold and Jota scored against the opponent, Liverpool won 5-0 away from home in the last round of the league. After 3 wins and 2 draws in the past 5 rounds, Liverpool currently ranks first in the standings with 45 points.

As for Manchester United, coached by Amorim, the "Red Devils" lost to Newcastle 0-2 in the last round. Currently, Manchester United ranks 14th with 22 points, so the ambition to fight for 3 points and return to the winning track will be very strong.

Liverpool manager Slot said at a press conference, "I have said before that the players they have are much stronger than the current league rankings reflect. Maybe Amorim needs some time to fully tap the potential of these players. I don't know, but their performance will definitely improve, and their strength will be far beyond what is currently shown in the league rankings."

When talking about the players' performance, Slote said, "Every player has room for improvement. For example, Salah, who is already 32 years old, can still get better in some aspects. Although this is difficult to say, because his data is already excellent. I watched our game against West Ham before. We led 3-0 in the first half, but Salah was a little frustrated when he came off the court. I think this is because he missed some opportunities that he would not normally miss."

Calling on players to make the best preparations to face Manchester United

"Trent Alexander-Arnold can also improve and I think he has improved this season. These players are world-class so the room for improvement is not huge but there are always areas where you can improve."

Sloter also said, "Especially in defense, I think Arnold has improved. In some games, his performance is very good, but in some games he is a little up and down. His main direction of improvement may be stability, because top players need higher stability."

It is worth mentioning that Liverpool took 34 shots at home against Manchester United last season but failed to score. Sloter said, "If you want to win the game, you need to work harder than your opponent. You also need to find a good balance in set pieces, especially against high-quality players. If these two points are achieved, then the next step depends more on the individual ability of the players."

"If there are 34 shots, it might be a bit of luck. Sometimes it also depends on the opponent's defensive performance. Manchester United may have defended very well at that time, but I don't remember the details of that game very well."

In addition, Sloter added, "We must be fully prepared because every game in the Premier League is difficult, especially when playing against strong players. I think they will see this game as an opportunity to make the fans proud. If they win at Anfield, it will mean more to them."

"Great players can be very dangerous when they set their minds to it, so we have to be well prepared to beat Manchester United."