Arne Slot not convinced top-eight Champions League finish is advantage in league
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot does not believe a top-eight Champions League finish will give his side an advantage over their rivals in the domestic title race.
The Dutchman said apart from the boost of missing the additional knockout round and going straight into the last 16, he was not sure what other benefits were to be had.
And he suggested, after assessment at the end of the season, if it turned out there had not been a significant advantage he would consider rotating more during the extended group stage.
The Premier League leaders, four points clear with a game in hand, are also currently top of the Champions League table after five successive wins and are on the verge of guaranteeing a top-eight place but after that there are then rankings to be played for with your eventual finishing position having an impact on the opposition you can draw in the last 16.
Title rivals Arsenal are seventh and Manchester City currently occupy 17th, an unseeded play-off place berth, while Chelsea are top of the Conference League table.
“If we end up in the top eight I assume these clubs end up in the top eight as well: Arsenal I think 95 percent sure, City have to do a bit more maybe but they are able to win three times in a row so then they will be in top eight,” said Slot ahead of the tie against European debutants Girona.
“Of course it seems to be really helpful to end up first eight but if every time you play all your (first-choice) starters, as we have done almost every time, then you also need the results because we try to finish as high as possible and also to skip the next round.
“If in the end it means by playing starters always and skipping the next round and still we have a very difficult draw then maybe we will think about it differently next season, what we will do in the group stage.
“You never know if it (missing the play-off round) is an advantage. Until now we have played every three days and we haven’t done that bad – maybe we should implement some friendly games if we finish top eight!
“But we are pushing really hard to finish top eight for the best possible seeding but also to skip that round.”
For only the second time in their history Liverpool could win the first six opening matches of a European campaign (they managed seven in 2021-22).
They have been boosted by the return of goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who missed 11 matches with a hamstring problem.
In his absence Caoimhin Kelleher has kept five clean sheets, including against Real Madrid and Manchester City, but made his first real error at Newcastle on Wednesday, with his late misjudgement allowing the hosts to snatch a 3-3 draw.
Slot confirmed Alisson is fit to start, adding: “I think it speaks for itself. If you can play with Alisson, who has been so outstanding for the club for so many years and for the Brazil national team, that is definitely nice to have him back.
“But if you then look at how his replacement did it is not going to be easy to do even better. We expect the same, and maybe on margins a bit better but Caoimh did so well we can say we have two good goalkeepers.
“But for so many years Alisson has been so outstanding for this club and we are expecting him to do the same over the next few months.”
Forward Diogo Jota, who has not featured since sustaining a chest injury against Chelsea on October 20, was also involved in full training at the AXA training complex before the squad flew out but has not travelled in order to continue his recovery.
Sport Liverpool duo Diogo Jota and Alisson Becker in tra… Read More
Girona’s former Southampton and Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu admits they have to do their best to knock the visitors out of their rhythm.
“We have to approach it as a historic and unique match but we have to work on it to arrive with options,” he told a press conference.
“Liverpool are an electric, dynamic, vertical, very attacking team. To suffer as little as possible we have to make them feel uncomfortable.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie