Arne Slot makes major Liverpool trophy admission ahead of Carabao Cup final
Liverpool face Newcastle United at Wembley in Sunday's Carabao Cup final and Reds boss Arne Slot knows just how important winning silverware is for managers of the Merseyside club
by Chris McKenna · The MirrorArne Slot admits he knew he had to compete for trophies as soon as he stepped foot in Liverpool.
The Reds boss can get his hands on his first piece of silverware in England on Sunday when his side takes on Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final.
Liverpool are 15 points clear in the Premier League title race with a 20th English crown on the way but they are just as desperate to win this trophy first. Slot led Feyenoord to the Dutch Cup last season and won the Eredivisie title in 2023.
He said: “I think expectations are always there, yes, it is a part of this club, part of the history of this club and part of inheriting a quality squad as we have. Maybe winning it is a bit too much if you talk about expectation but definitely competing for it because winning is always also about small margins.
“But the expectation was definitely there to compete, not immediately my thoughts were winning it but I knew that I had to compete.”
Only two Liverpool managers have failed to lift trophies since Bill Shankly turned the Reds into a winning machine when he took over in 1959 and that was Roy Hodgson and Brendan Rodgers. But Slot won’t be waiting long even if his side suffer heartbreak tomorrow.
Newcastle are desperate for a first major trophy since 1955 but the determination in the Liverpool dressing room is just as big as they look to retain the cup they won last season. The Reds love the League Cup and they've won it 10 times, more than any other club.
Captain Virgil van Dijk said: “On their side I think they didn't win a trophy for [70 years] so there's a lot of motivation there. We obviously want to win so badly as well, because we worked so hard to get where we are and obviously it's the first season together with the new regime and we want to show that we can win trophies with this whole regime.
“I think someone told me as well that people are saying that we're only going just for the league or something, that's what I've heard. These things, you can't stop it.
"It's part of being a football player, having so many platforms nowadays that people can say whatever they want. You just have to shut down a little bit, focus on the task ahead as a team and try to win. So far we've been doing great so I think just keep going.
"Sunday is another big opportunity because it's an opportunity, but it will be difficult because they will be up for it but we will be up for it as well."
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