Arne Slot – Football Flame

Liverpool have one major injury concern as plans start for title showdown

23Apr

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Liverpool have one major injury concern as plans start for title showdown

BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 1: Liverpool Manager Arne Slot during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Liverpool FC at Vitality Stadium on February 1, 2025 in Bournemouth, England. It is all coming together for Liverpool. The league title is set to be sealed in the coming days and Arne Slot is spoilt for choice in terms of the options in his squad. The Reds could be crowned Premier League champions on Wednesday night should Arsenal lose at home to Crystal Palace. An expected victory for the Gunners would set up a huge day at Anfield on Sunday, when a win for Liverpool over Tottenham Hotspur would be enough to get the job done. One of the key factors for the Reds this season has been the ability to keep their key players fit in the main. Manchester City and Arsenal h...

Arne Slot: It’s ridiculous to question Trent Alexander-Arnold’s commitment to Liverpool

21Apr

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Arne Slot: It’s ridiculous to question Trent Alexander-Arnold’s commitment to Liverpool

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 26:Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold looks on during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Newcastle United FC at Anfield on February 26, 2025 in Liverpool, England. The Reds are now tantalisingly close to reasserting their dominance over English football thanks to Alexander-Arnold's winner against Leicester on Sunday. Essentially, with Arsenal beating Ipswich Town earlier in the day, this was an exercise in marking time for Liverpool. The Premier League trophy will be returning to Anfield for the first time since 2020. The only question is ‘when’ not ‘if’. For Leicester City, however, the waiting is over. Only a year after achieving promotion back to the top-flight and less than a decade after breaking the stranglehold Manchester, Chelsea an...

Trent Alexander-Arnold injury boost as Arne Slot confirms another Liverpool ‘concern’

11Feb

By Silver Emmanuel9 Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Trent Alexander-Arnold injury boost as Arne Slot confirms another Liverpool ‘concern’

BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 1: Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Liverpool FC at Vitality Stadium on February 1, 2025 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images) Liverpool have been boosted by the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold to training, but Reds boss Arne Slot admits he's still unsure as to whether the right-back will be ready for the trip to Goodison Park on Wednesday evening. Alexander-Arnold was injured during the 2-0 win at Bournemouth when he went down in the second half holding his thigh and asking to be substituted. Scans revealed that the injury wasn't serious but the 26-year-old missed the win over Tottenham in the League Cup semi-final as well as the defeat to Plymouth A...

Liverpool 2-1 Lille: Virgil van Dijk, Arne Slot equal records in Champions League success

22Jan

By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

Champions League

Liverpool 2-1 Lille: Virgil van Dijk, Arne Slot equal records in Champions League success

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - JANUARY 21: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD7 match between Liverpool FC and LOSC Lille at Anfield on January 21, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Copa/Getty Images) Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and manager Arne Slot have both equalled respective Champions League records in the team's 2-1 win over Lille this evening. On a largely stress-free night, Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead, before Lille, who went into the night 21-games unbeaten, had Aissa Mandi sent off for two bookings. However, Lille gave the hosts a minor scare when Jonathan David levelled, but Harvey Elliott's deflected strike reinstated the lead just five minutes later. Those three points were enough to seal a top-ei...

Arne Slot believes Alexander-Arnold form not affected by contract situation

7Jan

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Arne Slot believes Alexander-Arnold form not affected by contract situation

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - JANUARY 05: Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool reacts during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester United FC at Anfield on January 05, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images) Liverpool head coach Arne Slot attempted to place a protective arm around Trent Alexander-Arnold by suggesting no-one mentions the effect of contract issues when the team are winning. The England defender was criticised for a poor performance in Sunday's 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United, just days after Real Madrid made an approach for the 26-year-old whose current deal expires in the summer. Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are in similar positions but Alexander-Arnold, an academy graduate and one of their most valuable assets, has found th...

Arne Slot ‘insists’ on shock move for ex-Man Utd star Greenwood as Liverpool ‘lead’ Barcelona

7Oct

By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

TRANSFERS

Arne Slot ‘insists’ on shock move for ex-Man Utd star Greenwood as Liverpool ‘lead’ Barcelona

Liverpool boss Arne Slot believes former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood can ‘become one of the great players in the Premier League’ under his watch and ‘insists’ on a shock move for the 23-year-old. A case against Greenwood of alleged rape and assault was discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service at the start of 2023 after the withdrawal of key witnesses significantly reduced the chance of conviction. Man Utd pulled the plug on his return ahead of the 2023/24 campaign and he joined La Liga side Getafe on loan, contributing eight goals and six assists, before moving to Marseille in a permanent £26m deal ahead of the current campaign. Greenwood is already being linked with another move after five goals and an assist in his first seven games for the Ligue 1 side, with Barcelona...

Arne Slot rejects genius transfer repeat after double injury blow

2Oct

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

TRANSFERS

Arne Slot rejects genius transfer repeat after double injury blow

Liverpool will be aiming to continue their perfect Champions League start on Wednesday. The Reds kicked off their latest European campaign last month by beating AC Milan. They now face more Italian opposition at Anfield, with Bologna set to be the visitors to Merseyside. Arne Slot has already been getting his side prepared for the game following the weekend’s victory against Wolves at Molineux. The Dutchman will certainly be keen for a positive result against Bologna, especially as he is set to make his European debut at Anfield. While that will be at the forefront of his mind, he will also have one eye on this weekend’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace. Take a look at all of the headlines from the red half of Merseyside: Liverpool boss Slot has rejected the chance to repeat a tric...

Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold hails Arne Slot advice

23Sep

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold hails Arne Slot advice

Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has said he welcomes critcism from manager Arne Slot in order to become a feared defender in Europe. The 25-year-old has garnered a reputation for his attacking prowess but has also been plagued by a less glittering narrative over the defensive side of his game. However, speaking after Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday, he said he wants Slot to help him turn that around. "I said to him [Slot] that I would like to be the defender that no one wants to come up against in Europe," Alexander-Arnold said. "We agreed that he will be harsh on me," he added. "If any time an attacker gets by me and gets past me, he will call it out in meetings, and individual meetings, and say this cannot happen. We go through every game together and h...

Liverpool now eyeing move to sign “unique” defender who can play multiple positions

21Sep

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

TRANSFERS

Liverpool now eyeing move to sign “unique” defender who can play multiple positions

Liverpool and Arne Slot are keeping tabs on a new defender ahead of a potential summer move, it has been revealed, with the Reds' backline in need of reinforcements. Liverpool's defensive concerns Though they have conceded just two goals in five games so far this season, there are longer-term concerns over the Liverpool defence. Of the Premier League winning back four, all of Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold remain, but the Scot and Van Dijk are now over 30 years old (33 in Van Dijk's case) and there are concerns over Alexander-Arnold's future amid interest from Real Madrid and an unclear contract stance. A centre-back is on their shopping list as they look to rejuvenate their backline, but there are also concerns at left-back. Kostas Tsimikas has been a valuabl...

Liverpool boss Arne Slot accused of ‘making mistake Jurgen Klopp would never have made’

17Sep

By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Liverpool boss Arne Slot accused of ‘making mistake Jurgen Klopp would never have made’

Richard Keys believes Arne Slot underestimated Nottingham Forest at the weekend - something former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp would never have done. The Dutchman, who succeed Klopp in the summer, tasted defeat for the first time since taking the top job at Anfield as the Reds fell to a shock a 1-0 loss against Nuno Espirito Santo's side. Liverpool named the same XI that beat Manchester United 3-0 prior to the international break, though they had been on international duty beforehand. And Keys reckons that was a sign of naivety from Slot, whose predecessor would have known better. Writing for his blog, Keys said: “It’s been suggested Slot got it wrong because he picked 11 starters who’d been on international duty. If it was an error I don’t think Klopp would’ve made it. H...

Arne Slot gets major injury boost as Liverpool substitutions start to make sense

7Sep

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Arne Slot gets major injury boost as Liverpool substitutions start to make sense

A key feature of Arne Slot's early days at Liverpool has been his willingness to bring off players without fear or favour. Subplots and storylines may have subsequently emerged from his substitution of players like Jarell Quansah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, but the Reds' head coach has not ducked anything so far. Questions around his decision to sub Quansah at half time of the 2-0 win over Ipswich Town on the opening weekend were followed up by a simple explanation for the introduction of Ibrahima Konate in his place. "First thing I said was we don’t have to speak about tactics if we lose so many duels and that’s what we did," Slot said. “That’s not that Jarell lost every duel – many of us lost too many duels – but I think we needed Ibou Konate to win these long balls in the air from...

Liverpool reveal why three stars left out of Champions League squad

5Sep

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

Champions League

Liverpool reveal why three stars left out of Champions League squad

Liverpool have revealed why three of their first-team stars were omitted from their Champions League squad. The Anfield outfit are finalising preparations for this season's new 36-team league format and new manager Arne Slot has named 25 players in his side.Eight of the squad members must be 'locally trained players' while four of these must be 'club trained' adding further restrictions to the footballers the boss can choose. The Reds are set to come up against AC Milan, Bologna, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, Real Madrid, Girona, Lille and PSV, in the league stage of the competition but some supporters were concerned that a number of snubbed names would not feature in these matches. In particular, many were shocked to see Harvey Elliott, Conor Bradley and Jarell Quansah left off t...

14Aug

By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

PREMIER LEAGUE

Why Liverpool are willing to sell young players this summer

Liverpool's seemingly sudden willingness to sell their young players is a result of various factors, rather than an order from new manager Arne Slot, Football Flame understands.Fans have voiced concerns on social media as Liverpool continue to entertain the departures of a number of young talents. Fabio Carvalho left for Brentford in a deal worth up to £27.5m, while the likes of Ben Doak, Bobby Clark and Sepp van den Berg are all facing uncertain futures at Anfield over the final weeks of the summer transfer window. Young players played a huge role in Liverpool's 2023/24 campaign, including their famous triumph over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final, but sources have confirmed to 90min that such a level of exposure was not planned for their academy talents and was largely forced upon ...