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Andy Hunter was listening to what Arne Slote had to say before this fixture. And this is what he heard;
Arne Slote said his experience against Ruud van Nistelrooy in Belgium, plus Liverpool’s a short drop-off in Tottenhammake sure Leicester are not underestimated at Anfield on Boxing Day.
Liverpool head coach Van Nistelrooy could beat PSV when he led Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title in 2022-23, drawing 2-2 at home and losing 4-3. PSV were one of only two teams to beat Feyenoord in the season as Slote’s side won the league by seven points from nearest challengers Eindhoven.
Much more here;
It’s been a bit foggy today in Merseyside, but visibility is fair enough to go ahead with the game.
It wasn’t the same when Tranmere played Accrington Stanley a little while ago;
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They know Christmas, part ii. Ruud van Nistelrooy agrees with Slote: “Manager, you’re busy working and sometimes you forget Christmas,” he said.
Meanwhile, asked about the decision to throw Jakub Stolarczyk into the team, after Danny Ward was blasted by his fans in the defeat of Wolves, he says: “It’s not ideal, but things are intense with Wardy, we all felt it; and puts you in that position where you have to decide.
Do they know it’s Christmas? Not if they are not football players. You don’t know Christmas, as a manager, says Arne Slot. “If it had been told to me in October I probably would have believed it.”
Also from Slote, this word of caution: “We are playing really well at the moment, but the city, two months ago they were playing well and look where they are now.”
Parts!
Today’s line-ups. Darwin Nunez leads the line LiverpoolBut Curtis replaced Szoboszlai. No Jamie Vardy for Leicester, and Jakub Stolarczyk makes his first start in goal;
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson, Gravenberch, McAllister, Sala, Jones, Gakpo, Nunez. Subs: Kelleher, Endo, Diaz, Szoboszlai, Chiesa, Elliott, Jota, Tsimikas, Quansah.
Leicester: Stolarczyk, Justin, Coady, Vestergaard, Kristiansen, Winks, Soumare, Ayew, El Khannous, Mavididi, Daka. Subs: Iversen, Okoli, De Corduba-Reid, Choudhury, Skipp, Edouard, Thomas, Alves, Buonanotte.
Referee: Darren Bond.
Hello world!
It was a very good Boxing Day for* Liverpool So far: Chelsea lost at home, Manchester City didn’t win (nor Verton) and in tomorrow’s Arsenal game, that all adds up to a chance to go seven points clear of Chelsea (with a game in hand), eight clear. of Nottingham Forest (again) and nine clears from Arsenal (without one) if they manage to do to Leicester what they did last season to the Foxes at Anfield, and the season before that, and the season before that, and indeed. which they did in the last eight weeks by crawling and killing on 10 occasions (they drew two others).
Discouragement (for the visitors) Leicester only take time off this season when they come to Southampton in October. They have lost seven and won one out of 10 games in all competitions since then and their form in the last eight games is as bad as Manchester City’s to get more points (both have five and are, at least on points; joint 18 in the last eight table -of games; speaking of 18 this is how many points Liverpool have, making it yet another top table).
It is a little surprising, Liverpool only 55% of the top Christmas-in-league title conversion rate (before the arrival of the Premier League, they were hilariously rolled to a 71.4% conversion rate, but they have dropped to 16.7%, aka. one of six, since 1992). What is actually a slight overperformance: the all time top flight top season birthday to league title conversion rate It’s 44%, and the all-time Premier League figure is exactly 50%.
We have about five months to find out how this period ends, since the last day is connected on May 25. Could tonight see another giant leap into glory for the high-flying Arne Slote? You will find us soon!