by Arne Slot said he has to raise his level of play because the standard of the Premier League from top to bottom is very high. The Dutchman led Liverpool to the top after 11 games and quickly achieved the rise in quality in the Eredivisie.
On Sunday, Liverpool travel to bottom of the table Southampton, where Slot does not expect a withdrawal as he believes any team in the division can beat another. Although Southampton have won once this season, Slot praised Russell Martin for sticking to his principles of possession-based football.
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“The biggest difference is that the other 17 managers [in the Eredivisie]they have game plans and a style of play and all kinds of good ideas, but the difference in quality between the two clubs [AZ and Feyenoord] I worked for and the teams we played were so great that you can come up with all the brilliant game plans, but it doesn’t work because there’s so much difference in quality,” Slot said.
“Southampton and all these teams have players who can play for big clubs. If you have a good game plan and a good style of play it can really work against us, against Manchester City or against Arsenal. This is what makes it more challenging, the quality of the players in particular. As a result, the game plans work better for these managers than for the 16, 17, 18 in the Eredivisie.
Martin’s methods have been criticized but the former Scotland defender is unwilling to compromise despite the poor results. Southampton are the league’s top scorers with seven goals in 11 matches. In their last defeat, 2-0 against Wolves, Southampton had 72% possession but failed to get a shot on target.
“If you’re a manager, you have to believe in something and you have to stick to that plan,” Slot said. “Russell has his own style and he believes in it. No one knows for sure that if he or the club wants to change his style of play, it will earn him a lot more points.
“He brought them up and he made it very difficult for every team to play against them. Normally, these up-and-coming teams need some time to adapt to the new league. If you have a good idea of football and a good game plan, then the results will come.
