Arne Slot Acknowledges Liverpool's Disappointing Season Despite Securing Champions League Qualification – Injury Updates on Salah and Alisson
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has acknowledged the club's disappointing season despite securing Champions League qualification, admitting that three consecutive wins cannot mask the overall poor campaign. The Reds have failed to win any major trophy under Slot's management this season and narrowly qualified for next season's UEFA Champions League. Slot provided injury updates on key players Mohamed Salah and Alisson Becker, with both reportedly close to returning to training ahead of the Chelsea match.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has acknowledged that despite three consecutive victories and securing Champions League qualification for next season, the club's disappointing campaign cannot be overlooked. Under Slot's management, Liverpool has underperformed significantly this season, failing to win any major trophy while barely qualifying for next season's UEFA Champions League.
Ahead of Liverpool's match against Chelsea on May 9, Slot addressed how three consecutive wins won't silence the criticism. "This season has unfolded in a way that even if we win three matches and get three consecutive positive results, I don't think everyone will view this season's performance positively," Slot said.
"What matters is we need to win at least one match, which we felt would be enough. We're uncertain because four points would make things clear. We're trying to perform as well as possible, which hasn't always happened," he added.
"Three victories won't silence the critics, so we need sustained good performances and results over a longer period. That's not our focus right now—we're concentrating on the remaining three matches. Next season will be different in terms of personnel."
Slot also provided updates on injured players Salah and Alisson. "Alisson hasn't trained with us yet, but he's almost ready. Giorgi Mamardashvili will train with us for the first time today—let's see how he responds," Slot explained.
"Mo hasn't trained with us either, but he's close to being ready to train. Alex (Isak) has returned to training with us. Yesterday was his first day back—that's positive. He did some training yesterday, and hopefully today he can do some or all of it. Then we'll see how much we can use him tomorrow."