‘Impressed, but not surprised’ Liverpool head coach Arne Slot heaps praise on 21-game unbeaten Lille and Bruno Genesio before Champions League clash | OneFootball

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has praised Lille and their head coach, Bruno Genesio, on the eve of the Champions League game that will oppose the table-topping Reds to Les Dogues. Speaking from Anfield in his press conference, the Dutch head coach said he was impressed, but not surprised with how Lille OSC conducted themselves so far in the Champions League.

“I think it was two or three years ago I played the current manager, when he was at Rennes, with my former club and I was impressed by the way his team played“, said Arne Slot. The Liverpool head coach mentions here a friendly game between Stade Rennais and Feyenoord, which took place at Roazhon Park on December 16, 2022, during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Rennes won that game 2-1.

Slot said he was surprised to see Lille OSC topple Champions League winners Real Madrid during this campaign. “I saw many games of them and now I am definitely not surprised anymore, but impressed because they’ve deserved every single point they’ve got until now.” Lille are currently 8th in the standings. Slot adds that Lille faced tough competition so far in the Champions League with Ruben Amorim’s “impossible to beat” Sporting CP.

“They faced Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid, and now, they’re facing us. The next game is gonna be difficult for them as well because they face Feyenoord”, quipped Slot. “They have not been lucky with the fixtures they had, so that’s the reason I’m so impressed with them in the Champions League. An unbeaten run of 21 games probably tells you even more.”

GFFN | Bastien Cheval