Arne Slot praises the mentality of his Liverpool side after Inter and Brighton wins | OneFootball

Slot sees Liverpool form turning corner

Arne Slot believes Liverpool’s recent improvement can be traced back to the fundamentals, effort, connection and a growing sense of belief. Saturday’s 2-0 win over Brighton at Anfield delivered more than three Premier League points. It offered reassurance that there is substance behind the results and that Liverpool’s form is beginning to stabilise under intense physical demands.

Hugo Ekitike’s goals, one in each half, settled the contest, extending Liverpool’s unbeaten run to five matches in all competitions. More importantly for Slot, the performance showed resilience after a relentless schedule, with a rare free midweek now offering a chance to regroup ahead of the trip to Tottenham.

Photo: IMAGO

Anfield connection lifts Liverpool

Slot was keen to highlight the role played by the crowd, framing the result as a shared effort between players and supporters. “Not only the lads, but the fans were, like they were in Milan, [very] helpful again,” he told Liverpoolfc.com.

“The boys put in a performance that is also easier maybe for the fans to help them if they see they are fighting and trying everything. They played good football in between, by the way, as well.

“But I think it was again a combination of things that the fans helped us and the players were at it, or on it, if that’s the way to say it. As a result of that we were a bit lucky, if we’re honest.”

That honesty continued as Slot acknowledged moments where fortune favoured Liverpool. “We have played many, many, many games in many weeks and months where we had no luck at all, where we sometimes conceded three goals without giving a chance away.”

Defensive resilience under pressure

Despite the clean sheet, Slot admitted Brighton created openings. “This would sound strange, but I mean what I say. We concede actually quite a lot [of chances against Brighton], but we were lucky that they didn’t score.”

What mattered was the outcome. “That means five games unbeaten and out of the five games we have three clean sheets and that’s something to build on.” In a season where fine margins have often gone against Liverpool, that sense of balance feels significant.

Photo: IMAGO

The defensive improvement has not been flawless, but it has been collective. Liverpool have defended deeper at times, absorbed pressure and trusted that their structure would hold. Against a Brighton side comfortable in possession, that discipline proved decisive.

Mentality tested by demanding schedule

Slot’s satisfaction extended beyond tactics. The physical toll on his squad has been considerable, with limited scope for rotation. “For so many reasons. But maybe mainly because we’ve had to play so many games in such a short period of time [with] mainly the same players.”

He added, “Not constantly because I could rotate a little bit, but emphasising on ‘a little bit’ because there weren’t many players available. These players played the four games in 10 days, which was really hard for them.”

Brighton’s style demanded further effort. “With maybe one day extra rest we played Brighton, which is a very good team in ball possession, so you need to be on top of your game, especially without the ball, otherwise they’re so comfortable to play through you.”

Slot felt the strain showed late on. “That they could do this one more time after such a tough period cost them a lot of energy and that you could see, because not all of them could finish the 90 minutes. But the mentality of the team was that good that we were able to win it.”

For Liverpool, that mentality may yet define their season.