Arne Slot won’t accept mediocrity and believes Liverpool will need to improve to compete with the top teams this season.
Liverpool sit at the top of the Premier League table as they prepare for their Champions League match against Bologna, a side who Slot believes will be difficult to beat.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday night’s fixture, Slot said his team need to do things better and he is excited at the prospect of his first European night at Anfield.
Slot said: “I don’t accept mediocrity, but the positive thing about this group is that the players don’t accept it either.
“A top league table team is a bit more difficult than a low league table team, and we haven’t faced one of them yet. We have to do things better but we have a lot of players with a lot of individual quality.
“There’s things we definitely have to improve if we want to stay where we are with the fixture list that’s coming up.
“Bologna showed last season and this season they are a really difficult team to beat. We as Liverpool know how difficult it can be against a team that man marking all over the pitch.
“To face an Italian team at Champions League level, we don’t under-estimate them at all. That’s not what they deserve based on last season.”
Liverpool missed out on Champions League football last season, but have made a fast start this year domestically and in Europe, beating AC Milan 3-1 in Italy last month.
Slot competed in the competition last year with his former side Feyenoord, however they failed to make it out of the group stages.
“People tell me it is more special here,” Slot added. “What I expect from the players is for them to show that they missed this. I want to see this, I want to feel this. That the players missed this for a season.
“I am hoping it’s the same from our fans. I hope they feel this desire to show Europe that you missed us. That combination should lead to hopefully a special night for everyone involved with Liverpool.”
Arne Slot said that despite missing training today, he is expecting Diogo Jota to be available to face Bologna, but Federico Chiesa will miss out through injury.
Featured image credit: Jan Kruger/Getty Images
