by Liverpool may be making life easy after a 14th win in 16 matches, but head coach Arne Slot insists that is far from the truth.
A Luis Diaz hat-trick helped his side to a 4-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen, managed by former Reds midfielder Xabi Alonso, to extend their 100% Champions League record to four matches.
This has put them top of the table in Europe as well as the Premier League in what has been a remarkable debut for Jurgen Klopp’s replacement.
“No, not at all,” he replied when asked if he found it easy.
“Just look at the results: Brighton were tough on Saturday where we were 1-0 down and had to fight really hard and that’s what you saw today.
“We have to work really hard with an incredibly high intensity to win our games and that has a lot to do with the teams thinking Anfield is the best place to play, so every team we play is at the top of their game.
“If you want to win you always have to be consistent in your intensity and it’s not always easy but that’s what it takes and if we can keep producing that it’s still not easy but we win our victories and that’s what we want.”
Expectations were lowered when Slot arrived as he had the unenviable task of shadowing Klopp, but after achieving what no other Liverpool manager has done before, the stakes were raised considerably.
Slot understands what this means and rises to the challenge.
“I think if you work at any club in the world there is always pressure; for some managers it is not about going down, for others they have to gain a lot,” he added.
“In our position there is always pressure and that is the pressure we give ourselves.
“If you work or play at Liverpool you know that so many great players have set the bar so high here that there is always a bit of pressure, but we also accept it because that’s what we want, we want to compete for everything.
“But the other side is that if you work or play here you can enjoy some incredible evenings because today the atmosphere was even more impressive than Saturday.”
After a bland first half, the match came back to life with two goals in three minutes from Diaz and Cody Gakpo, before the former – playing in an unfamiliar position as a false nine – added two more late.
“Not only do Colombians love Lucho, but people in Liverpool love him too,” said Slot of the South American.
“I have heard the fans singing his song many times and the manager loves it too. I don’t like it but I like it!
“You look at all the goals that Lucho and Cody score, but I also look at how much they come back and how much they have to defend and I ask a lot of them, that’s why we alternate them – but for me, Lucho is a starter and Cody is also a starter for me.
Alonso, who won the Champions League during his five years at Anfield, endured a disappointing return as his side were left disjointed after holding off Slot’s side for an hour.
“The second half, compared to the first, was not good enough,” he said.
“In the second half we failed to maintain the intensity and we slowed down our pace and the first goal was a consequence of that, we didn’t close the line quickly enough, and after the second, two minutes later it was difficult.
“We couldn’t get over it. Losing 4-0 is a difficult result, harder than the performance but it is what it is. It’s the Champions League at Anfield against one of the best teams.
