Arne Slot has explained what he meant with comments about Liverpool and the Europa League after coming under fire in some quarters, insisting that he was misunderstoodPaul Gorst Liverpool FC correspondent and Matt Addison Liverpool FC Reporter
08:38, 31 Jan 2026
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside via Getty Images)
Arne Slot has sought to clarify remarks made about Liverpool’s Europa League exit in 2024 under Jurgen Klopp — maintaining his point was simply that Champions League qualification shouldn’t be taken for granted.
The Reds booked their spot in the knockout stages of the Champions League on Wednesday evening when a 6-0 victory over Qarabag at Anfield saw them finish third within the top eight behind only Bayern Munich and Arsenal.
It marks the second consecutive season Liverpool have sailed into the knockouts and when questioned about qualification following the match, Slot, who continues to face criticism over Premier League struggles, referenced the 2024 Europa League elimination to Atalanta under Klopp as justification for why the last-16 of Europe’s premier club competition should not be dismissed too readily.
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OPINION
Matt Addison
The response to that answer, particularly on social media, saw Slot come under fire in certain quarters but the head coach moved to clarify what he intended by mentioning the 3-1 aggregate defeat to Atalanta nearly two years ago.
“I think [online criticism] is part of the job, part of the thing we are living in,” the Reds boss said. “I could come back to the Europa League thing I said. What I meant was that season they ended up third in the league and we are currently sixth so I didn’t want to make the point that it was a poor season.
“I only said we have achieved so much at this club but sometimes we also have to enjoy a moment like (qualifying in the Champions League). We cannot take those things for granted. And apparently, that line is drawn in a different context, or people make something else of it.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot after his side beat Qarabag in the Champions League.(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside via Getty Images)
“That is part of the world we are living in but that season they ended up third and it is going to be a hell of a challenge to end up third so I didn’t want to win points or make points, I just wanted to say we cannot take anything like this for granted, even at this club that has such a great history.
“And for all the other things that are being said, that is what you have to accept if you are a manager that is not winning enough games.”
Liverpool takes on Newcastle United today looking to establish a six-point lead over the Magpies in the race for the top five spots. Chelsea hosts West Ham, while Manchester United has Fulham on Sunday.
Slot added: “I think I have tried to say certain things in a way that I didn’t want to say it, completely clear, hoping that people would pick up on what I meant by it, but unfortunately eight out of 10 times people didn’t took up the point I was meaning to say.
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“I have tried to say many times that we don’t have a lot of injuries, but still I am struggling, that for me implements something, but no one picks up on what we have implemented.
“So that is the difficulty of speaking a lot in the media, wanting to protect your players, wanting to protect everyone involved in the club, but the reality is that the Premier League has never been stronger like this, there have never been more teams that are competing up there in terms of points. .
“I just got the question how close everyone is together, but I think the aim for Liverpool has always been the same, winning the league and that has not changed, not last season, not this season and it will not change next season.
“But the reality is also that it is really difficult for any team in this league to win it — and sorry that it is even more nice we won it last season, how special that has been.”