Arne Slote said that it was too early Liverpool to celebrate the 20th league title, although his team continued to be seven points clear at the top of the Premier League with a victory over Leicester.
Liverpool extended their lead over second-placed Chelsea, who also have a game in hand over their nearest challengers, after coming from behind. beat Ruud van Nistelrooy into a struggling side at Anfield But despite Chelsea and other leaders faltering in their pursuit of the league, Slote reiterated his call for focus and prospects from Liverpool.
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“If you are in this game for a long time, as these players are and I am, you know that you do not see 20 games before the end,” said the head coach of Liverpool. “So many challenges are still ahead of you. A few months ago we were one point behind Manchester City and look what happened there. Injuries, suspensions, bad luck – it can happen to anyone. It’s too early to celebrate. You’ve seen all these games and I don’t think it’s an easy victory That tells you how hard it is to win if all your players are available. We just have to take it one game at a time.”
Curtis Jones, who was Liverpool’s first midfielder, received a text from Jürgen Klopp after making 100 Premier League appearances for his boyhood club.
Jones said: “I went in and saw a text from Klopp saying ‘congratulations on 100 games and here’s to 500’. And I was like: What is this? I’m just calm and proud. He was the one who made the team we have now. The foundation was there and carried by Arne Slote. It looks good but there are a lot of games to come.”
Van Nistelrooy has inspired his Leicester team’s response to Sunday’s heavy home defeat by Wolves. “I think we’re in the running for a long time,” he said. The goal was 3-1 in the sense that the game was done for us, but in the 60th minute I remember the chance. [Patson] Daka to match. We were still in the game when we found a surprising result.