![\"Liverpool](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_GettyImages-2248678443.jpg\")
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot(Image: Carl Recine\/Getty Images)<\/p>\nArne Slot has been talking ahead of Liverpool’s Premier League clash against Sunderland on Wednesday eveningLiverpool head coach Arne Slot(Image: Carl Recine\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
It was a sight almost as jarring as the scoreboard that signified another dismal home defeat. As Liverpool slumped to successive Anfield<\/a> losses to Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven, supporters voted with their feet with gaps appearing in the stands long before the final whistle of those damaging reverses.<\/p>\n The Reds<\/a> were able to stop the rot with only a fourth win in 13 games when a revamped line-up earned a 2-0 triumph at West Ham United on Sunday<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tonight, though, represents a first return to their own turf since the recent double humiliation that prompted heated debate Slot<\/a> may have only this week to save his job following such an underwhelming start to the campaign as defending Premier League<\/a> champions.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Arne Slot drops Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak selection hint and shares Liverpool injury boost<\/a>READ MORE: Arne Slot shares Mohamed Salah reaction to Liverpool dropping and names AFCON exit date<\/a><\/p>\n Sunderland, who are exceeding expectations since promotion back to the Premier League last season and stand above Liverpool in the standings, are the visitors ahead of Saturday’s clash at struggling Leeds United.<\/p>\n And when it comes to keeping bums on seats for the duration, Slot admits there is only one aspect his team can control having witnessed a distinct lack of one key attribute.<\/p>\n “I want to see a team that is fighting to the end – that is the only influence I have got,” said the Liverpool head coach. “We have spoken about that.<\/p>\n “I said this last week, after the 3-0 against Forest I didn\u2019t see it. In the 4-1 against PSV, we were still trying but not in the right way as before.<\/p>\n “The only influence I have \u2013 and for us \u2013 is to keep fighting, keep believing in ourselves. If we do that, maybe the fans they will stay.”<\/p>\n The Reds went back to basics at the weekend with the emphasis on shoring up a woeful defensive effort that had seen them ship 20 goals in their opening 12 league games and 10 in their last three outings in all competitions.<\/p>\n Only a fourth Premier League clean sheet of the campaign was the foundation for the success, with Cody Gakpo<\/a>s subdued celebration on sealing the win in injury time perhaps encapsulating the feeling among the squad at present.<\/p>\n Did Slot notice any anger in the forward’s reaction to scoring? “That is difficult because I don\u2019t know how they were feeling,” he said. “I was happy when that ball went in because, just before, the only chance they got (from Jarrod Bowen) was very close to a goal.<\/p>\n “So I was happy that Cody scored. I have no clue. Maybe it was because they were down to 10 and it was five to 10 minutes more difficult than it had been before.<\/p>\n “Maybe it was ‘phew \u2013 at last we have won’. There is also something inside that maybe one win doesn\u2019t mean we are living up to our own standards. We have to do more than winning once every few weeks.”<\/p>\n Gakpo had earlier been the provider for Alexander Isak<\/a>‘s first Premier League goal for Liverpool since arriving for a British record \u00a3125million from Newcastle United in September.<\/p>\n Slot, though, is encouraged by there being no obvious subsequent change in the demeanour of Isak.<\/p>\n “Alex is a really calm personality,” he said. “Whether he scores or he doesn\u2019t score, you don\u2019t see that much difference in him. That is the trait of a player who scores a lot of goals.<\/p>\n “He doesn\u2019t go to the highs and he doesn\u2019t go to the lows. He was calm (on Monday). I only spoke to him briefly because I was outside with the ones who didn\u2019t play. The others stayed inside.<\/p>\n “When I asked him about his goal, I did see a smile. That tells you maybe something. He is a calm person.<\/p>\n “But I have seen him on the pitch, even when he didn\u2019t score, very lively as I expected him to be. I don\u2019t expect a lot of difference.”<\/p>\n Slot has a number of selection decisions to make for tonight. Mohamed Salah<\/a> is pressing for a return on the right, while the Reds boss must determine whether Isak, attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz<\/a> and Joe Gomez<\/a> – who made his first Premier League start in 11 months on Sunday – are capable of starting twice in four days.<\/p>\n Milos Kerkez<\/a> was replaced by Andy Robertson<\/a> due to cramp in the closing stages at West Ham and could be rested to the bench. Conor Bradley<\/a>, Jeremie Frimpong<\/a> and Giovanni Leoni<\/a> remain out, although Bradley could return for the weekend after a hamstring issue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Arne Slot has been talking ahead of Liverpool’s Premier League clash against Sunderland on Wednesday eveningLiverpool head coach…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":608803,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[1121,748,393,4884,179,763,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-608802","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-arne-slot","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-liverpool","13":"tag-liverpool-fc","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115653716612746343","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/608803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}