Football Daily - BONUS - Arne Slot on PL title win, next season's targets & partying in Ibiza

Episode Date: May 23, 2025

After guiding Liverpool to the Premier League title in his first season Arne Slot reflects on his first 12 months in charge at Anfield. He talks to the BBC’s Sports Editor Dan Roan about what he was expecting when he first took over, replacing Jurgen Klopp, and how he dealt with the uncertainty around Mohammed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contracts. Plus, Slot opens up about how he unwinds, celebrating the title with the players and staff in Ibiza, and convincing Salah to set standards in training.

BBC Sounds music radio podcasts This is 5Live Sports The Football Daily Podcast They said 5 years ago that it didn't feel real Well it feels real now Liverpool are back on that perch It's a record equaling 20th Top Flight title. And this is all that's left for Leo.

I think that's a support for his fan and as a staff member as well. So let's forget that it's the second in 35 years. It's the second in five years. The only thing I can do now is send my appreciation to Jürgen. So there we go. Jürgen Klopp! La la la la la la! Jürgen Klopp!

La la la la la la! Jürgen Klopp! Arne, good to see you. Congratulations again on the title. You've had some time now, Arne, to process the title win. Is it hard to believe sometimes just what you've achieved in your first season here? Not as much now anymore. I think the moment the referee blew his whistle, you were like, wow, this has really happened. But now, after all the celebrations, it definitely sinked in. I think that's the way you say it. So now it's not so hard anymore, but still

it's an achievement that we hoped for. We worked really hard for, but to say we expected it, I expected it would be a bit too much. What were you expecting when you came in, given last season? Because, what was it, nine points behind City, I think Liverpool finished, quarter-finals in the FA Cup, Europa League, not many signings. What were you expecting realistically? Before I came in, before I started to work with the players, I thought, similar to the club, that we had to qualify for Champions League again. And like you see now, that's not an easy task in this country,

because so many very good teams are competing for that. But the moment I started working with the players that are mainly starting now, and that was only two weeks before the start of the season, I felt like, oh, this is definitely quality. But it's difficult to compare it with the rest of the teams because the league hasn't started yet. But from the first games onwards, I felt, okay, this is a tough league, but we definitely have above a certain other team's quality. But yeah, then it's a long season. You have to wait. What do you do if you play Champions League and Premier League?

Because like you just referred to the season before they played Europa League and as you probably know, they hardly played their starters. So it was constant rotation. That means they only had to play 38 games instead of now 48 games because we mainly started the same players in the Champions League as well. So there are a lot of things you have to find out but that the quality was there to do something special this season that I knew quite fast. And you came to a club with...

Sorry, not only the quality but definitely also the mentality. I was about to ask about this. Yeah, sorry. You came to a club that had been close in recent seasons but had had to watch Manchester City win time and time again, four in a row. Did you feel you had to repair the confidence of some players because of their failure to go with that final hurdle and how did you do that? No, I didn't have to repair any confidence because a few of them already won the league, a few of them won the Champions League, one of them was a World Cup winner with McAllister.

The players that play at these levels know they can win trophies and one of them is the Premier League. It wasn't like I had to do anything about our confidence. What we needed to do was do a few things better, is normal otherwise you don't end up nine points behind City and maybe maybe maybe we were a bit lucky that City had for the first time in five years a difficult period but we were also part of that difficult period because we beat them at home in a period where they've already lost a few but not so much so maybe when we would have lost that one they would have gone up again so we were also part of their difficult periods and

yeah we didn't have one and and that's what you need when you want to win a league like this you cannot have a longer period of games where you drop points. Realistically do you expect them to be stronger significantly stronger next season because they've already invested a lot this season and they'll do more I guess. You think so yeah I think they're already invested a lot this season and they'll do more I guess. You think so yeah? I think they're already better in the second part of the season and they started off quite well as well. They had a difficult spell where they had many injuries also so sometimes in four or five years it's such an

incredible accomplishment to be at the top for so many years and then they had a small period of time where they also had injuries where they had some difficulties. But with this manager, with the players they've got, they will always, always be part of the competition we're going to face next season. You've mentioned City's slump compared to other seasons. Do you think therefore that Liverpool maybe don't have the credit they deserve for putting so much pressure on your rivals? Because it has been said by some that this wasn't a classic title race to the end

because you were so effective. I think Mikel Arteta said Arsenal got more points last two seasons and didn't win the league than compared to you. What do you make of some of these comments? Everybody has the right to have his own opinion. What Michael said was the moment we won the league, we were at 85, 83 points I don't know and at the end of the season they had more points but four games before the end where we won it we were on more points than them. So what he meant was sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time.

I totally agree with him on that, only not in a Premier League season. So in a Champions League, FA Cup, World Cups, then it is about in the right time, in the right place. So we were very unlucky that we had to play Paris Saint-Germain in March. That was in the end because in this country we don't have a winter break. We had to play from November to March with all these Real Madrid games and City games all these tough games in between and then in the end of that period we had to play one team that can play just as intense as we can only they

had a winter break and we were in the end of a four month period. So I think if we could have played them in April that would have been better. And we were so unlucky because we were number one in the league table. We could have had Benfica like Barcelona had and afterwards Dortmund or first I think it was first Benfica and Dortmund. But we got, Paulien Jemain, if we would have been better in penalties we would have won it then we had to go to Fela which is a very good team as well and then the semi-final Arsenal so yes in in in a cup it is about being in the right time in the right place in a

season I think it's more yeah that is that that's so long. Then normally the best team wins the league. Yeah. And you reference the Champions League because you've won the title in your first year. Does that now become more of a priority next season for you, Europe? I think it was this season a big priority as well, because the first seven games I've played mainly with my starters. Only the eighth game that we lost against PSV Eindhoven, we gave them some rest. So it's always been a priority for this club. But if I could choose, which you don't have to do if you start the season, you want to win every trophy. But now in the end, if you ask me, would you prefer to win the league or the Champions League? I prefer to win the league

because I think that's even more difficult than winning the Champions League because you can reach a final with good luck and you can never win a league with only having a lot of luck. You've been spotted out partying in Ibiza since winning the league. How important is it to enjoy these moments and how much do you need to unwind and relax a little? I was at a place where people are partying and we were there with a few of our staff members so it's not so easy if people recognise you and constantly film you to party so that is one of the things that changed in my life. So when I go on a holiday with the family you probably won't see me over there. But it was nice. It was nice to, if you win something and a special trophy

like this, it's nice to celebrate this and especially to do this with the staff. I couldn't take all of them but I took quite a few of them as a thank you from the club and from me towards them because as a manager you always I'm sitting here now where they are working inside and I'm working now as well though. How much did the season take out of you Arne emotionally because of the pressure that inevitably comes with this huge job in football? I don't think you feel it that much during the season about pressure because pressure is most from the outside world.

In here, we started to think this conversation, it was like we want to qualify for Champions League, although if you were at a certain moment, five points clear, eight points clear, you don't think about qualifying for Champions League anymore, then the pressure is there. But if you work at a big club, if it's Feyenoord, which is also a big club, there's always pressure. In this environment where we work in, there's always pressure and I think we're used to that and the pressure of social media and that is not something that comes to me a lot. And how do you get away from football outside of the job, apart from DJing by the looks of it? Anything else you do to unwind? I like to play a game of

Padel and I liked and still like to play golf as well but the only downside to that is that that takes me four hours and if you play Sunday, Wednesday, Sunday or Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday there's not a lot of time for four hours of golf so that's why I changed a bit from golf to padel. Yeah, like many other people as well. And like many other people, Netflix or one of the other platforms can help you to relax as well.

And what will it mean to you to get your hands on the trophy finally when it's given to the team? How big a moment will that be? Yeah, that's funny because that's that's an iconic moment for people in England where in other countries or let's say the country I've come from it's immediately after you win it you get the trophy already so it's it's the same moment it's the same feeling we're here these are two separate moments and people tell me oh that's gonna be special that's gonna be special for me winning the league was really special.

So hopefully I will be in a positive way surprised what that moment means as well. I'm like, okay, we just go up there, we show what we've won. But probably it's more to that than that because people that know what this they really look forward to it. As we look back at all the action from the weekend. There's quite a few questions. Defensively, I don't still feel that they're strong, good enough, what I've said all season. When they started to get going and missed a lot of chances. He's been outstanding. He leads the line ever so well. Yeah, I think he's a good striker, got great movement, can hold the ball up. The Premier League review, only on The Football Daily.

Listen on BBC Sounds. The Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds. And a lot of people have been very impressed, Arne, with just how assured you've been, how composed you've been, maybe with the exception of against Everton perhaps. But what's been the key to being calm, given the job, given who you were replacing? The way I can work here, the confidence I get from the people that hired me and the quality of my players. So I've always felt from the first moment I've been here I felt comfortable, relaxed and knowing that I can do what I need to do with all the confidence the people have in me. And you get also confidence in the result if you can work with the quality players we can work with not only their quality but the way they prepare themselves the way they are

ready for every free every game every three days gives you the confidence that we're able to win against any team and that's probably also what happened we've never been outplayed except for one moment Paris Saint-Germain away but I liked it so much that a week later we were the dominant team against them in our home game so yeah. And when you think of the journey you've been on in the Netherlands whether it's at Canberra or AZ Alkmaar or Feyenoord and you're now the first Dutch manager to win the Premier League and you think about your father who I know got you into coaching because he was a coach at Bergen-Thijm. What does it mean to him then to see what you've achieved as a coach? So much, so much. But

I think it means a lot for every parent so not only for my parents also for the parents of the players but it means a lot for him as well. My brother always makes the jokes, makes the joke. He goes five times a day to the grocery shop so every time forgets one, forgets one someone forget someone forget someone so he can go five times and people can talk to him. Oh your son is doing so great. So yeah, he's probably even even prouder than I am for what I achieved. You've managed to do what is a very difficult challenge and replace a legendary manager, you know, replacing Ferguson, replacing Wenger, very difficult. It'll be the same for

whoever takes over from Guardiola, but you did this after Jurgen Klopp. How worried were you about that when you arrived? Because you're different personalities, you haven't tried to be like Jurgen, but what was that important to just be yourself but maybe listen to him? What was the key and was it a concern? I think many things come into this but I looked at the age of the group and that is maybe, I don't know, but I think that might be different when David Moyes had to take over from Ferguson. And from the moment I came here and even before when I had the conversations to join this club, how professional it is, the facilities, the

way why they wanted me, they didn't of course it helps if you outperform at a club like Feyenoord but it was a lot about playing style as well so a lot of confidence that they didn't only brought me in to win the league or to do this no no no it was was also playing style. And Jurgen left this club, this team, in a great place because the culture of this team and the way people work here together has been a joy to step into. And I didn't have to first get the discipline going or no, no, no, these guys were so disciplined and working so hard. And I saw already that there was a lot of quality over here.

I know you want to move on. You said yesterday about Trent, whether you play him or not in the last game of the season, what would your hopes be in terms of the reaction to him when he gets his winner's medal? I hope the same for every other player that attributed it to us winning the league. That they will get the reception every player deserves. All of them worked so hard, not only this season but throughout their careers to achieve something like this. They did this for themselves but partly also driven by our fans. And it would be fantastic if it's only gonna be a positive moment for

everyone at the club and Trent is part of that so I hope that I will hear the same thing as I saw the moment he took the free kick where I only hurt people in the last game against Arsenal where everybody was already positive so I hope every player gets what he deserves for what he did this season for this club. And it should be the same for everyone, in my opinion. But yeah, I hope I can influence them, but they have their own opinion as well. And how difficult was it given that there was this uncertainty over three such big name players, him, Virgil,

and obviously Mo as well, because you could imagine how that may have derailed Liverpool's season, depending on how it had gone, but you seemed to navigate that very well. How concerned were you, and were you involved at all, or was it just being done by the club separate? 80% was done by the club separately but they keep me updated but I like the idea that all these contract things are not done by me but by someone else because in this league you need all of your time to prepare your team for the upcoming game. It hasn't been difficult for me because it hasn't

been difficult for the players. It would have been difficult for the players then I would have spent a lot of time talking to them and getting them ready for the next game. But I think maybe also we played for something special because we thought we were trying to compete at the end of the Champions League because we're such a good team. And for the Premier League that I think that helped also the players to just stay focused on, we can do something special over here and I think the most special moment for Mo and for Virgil is not their contract extension this year but it was and is us winning the league. And this is where you live for, it's not their first contract, they already have enough money, at least that's what I think.

And then it's more about trophies than about extending your contract. It's not their first contract, they already have enough money, at least, that's what I think. And then it's more about trophies than about extending your contract. And it was interesting, Mo speaking about when you arrived, you were saying to him, he said, you need to do more in your warm-ups pre-season, set a good example for the other players. I guess from your perspective, saying that to a player of that status comes with a little bit of a risk, because certain players may not take that kind of challenge well, he did but is that a passion of yours that regardless of how good the player, how much they've won, you can always improve them? Yes, that is definitely a passion of mine but

I'm not so stupid that I just say this out of the blue, BAM, I think I'm smart enough. And that is, I think, the main thing you have to do as a manager. If you want to bring your message across, you have to do this in the right way. So it wasn't only that. Probably I gave him 15 compliments during that conversation. And then I showed him how he did the warm-up. And then there's not so much. So to be fair to him, he came in, the six minute run they all have to do, he was number one. But then, he was, I think for two or three weeks, mostly with young players over here, academy players.

So I could even understand him thinking, is all of this necessary? But I said, probably one of the things I said to him then was, yeah, I would like you to do the warm up in a different way than you do over here. But that wasn't the only message I got at that moment. So there were a few positives, there were a few things about him tracking back if the fullback wants to attack. So the way your message comes across,

that is something where I think we as managers can make a difference. Not so much tactics because everybody has great tactics, but how you bring your tactics across, do the players believe in it? That is something I think where a manager can make a difference. Just finally on AFMA, you achieved this title without rotating as much perhaps as Jurgen. You brought substitutes on quite late. Do you realistically now need to strengthen this summer? How much and where do you think you need to?

I think another question is, does a player that doesn't play that much wants to stay at a club where he's not playing that much and if not many things change, will the same thing happen again? And I always say that to be on the bench for one season is already difficult. To not play a lot two seasons in a row is hardly impossible. So it's not only what I want, it's also what the player wants.

But you just mentioned in the beginning of this conversation that City will probably strengthen the squad again. If the rumours are correct, Arsenal is planning the same. So it would be stupid if we are not looking at trying to strengthen the squad as well. But again, I've said it many times, it's not that easy because this team is already on the league. So to find players that can strengthen us, that might not even be that difficult because there are certain players in the world where I think, if they would come, it would be nice. But they're also playing at clubs where they don't want to leave. So there are not many that can strengthen us but the few that are out there we will try to get them. But yeah at this moment of time we're not sure if that's possible.

Yeah and I guess like Fire Nord you've done it without spending a huge amount of money but you're up against City, Newcastle United, as you say, Arsenal, some big clubs. So I guess that comes with a satisfaction that you didn't. You had to use what you had. Yeah, that that makes it probably even more special. And and what is also nice that the one time we won the league at Feyenoord, 14 players left in the beginning of the season.

So we had to change 14 players. So that is something different than not changing anyone. So I did it now in two different league in two different ways. And all the excuses that have always been made if a team doesn't win the league, all these excuses you could give to Liverpool, you could give to Feyenoord with us maybe not spending or 14 players gone or not bringing new players in or taking over from someone. All these things are excuses for teams that don't win the league and it's nice that if you have all these excuses that you don't have to use them but you still just want it.

And they thank you so much for your time. You're welcome. Enjoy the rest of the season. This is the football story of the season. This is the football story of the century. It's pandemonium, it's ecstasy. It's an authoritarian regime. For the past 15 years, English football has been dominated by Manchester City. Eight Premier League titles, six League Cups, three FA Cups, one Champions League.

And more than a hundred charges. Somebody turned up at the Etihad Stadium and effectively served papers. I'm Clive Myrie and this is Football on Trial. The Manchester City charges. They believe they've got irrefutable evidence. Listen on BBC Sounds.