Arne Slot: ‘You cannot win the Premier League playing long-ball football’ | OneFootball

Arne Slot has said that Liverpool will not be join the ranks of the teams who have adopted more long-ball tactics by saying it is not the way to win the Premier League.

There has been more direct football played in the top flight so far this season, with statistics showing the overall numbers of passes down, but the number of long throws and long goal kicks up.

Slot understands why some of his fellow managers are switching from a style of play based on having more possession but believes it is an approach best suited to teams trying to stop the best, not be the best and he believes potential champions cannot play that way.

He explained: “I think that playing style of long ball and second ball is not a playing style a team has had that has won this league in the past 10 or 15 or 20 years.

“If you want to win the league you cannot, in my opinion, it’s not able with that playing style. But it is a very fair answer to playing against Man City, playing against Liverpool, playing against Arsenal, to play against Chelsea, to play against all these top teams in that style.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot oversees training (Action Images via Reuters)

“I don’t see this style at any team in Europe that wins the league. It’s not Bayern Munich, not Barcelona, not Real Madrid, it’s not Liverpool, not Man City… but it is a style of play you see a lot happening to Man City.

“Long ball, low block, long ball, low block, long ball, low block after they were so successful and this is what you see quite a lot at the moment with us as well.”