Everything Arne Slot had to say about Liverpool’s novel UCL draw

UEFA, in their infinite wisdom, decided that the Champions League needed to be revamped and Arne Slot has had his say on how their novel new ideas impacted our club.

Speaking with liverpoolfc.com about the draw, the 45-year-old said: “The first thing to say is it is a very challenging draw but also a very exciting one and more important than anything, we are part of it – which means there is a lot to look forward to and also a lot of work to be done.

“There will be a lot of focus on the fixture against Real Madrid at Anfield, and rightly so because they are the holders of the competition, but at the same time there is so much quality among our other opponents that we will spread our attention evenly and take each game as it comes.

“PSV are a team I know really well, of course, and – like Bayer Leverkusen – they are champions of their own country, so the standard is very clear and it runs through all of the clubs that we will face. I could talk about each of them and what they will bring but the time to do that is when the fixtures come around.

“For now, we will look forward and, as I said, keep working because there are a lot of games to come in the Premier League and in the Champions League, and the only way to approach them is one at a time.”

It’s no surprise that the Dutchman has paid special attention to the match against Real Madrid, especially given the fact that we’ve failed to beat the Spanish giants in any of the last eight games we’ve played against them.

Given the fact that this includes finals in Kyiv and Paris too, to say that we owe the La Liga club a win is certainly an understatement.

Being just the fifth manager to oversee a Champions League game for the Reds (since its re-branding in 1992), the former Feyenoord boss will be hoping to add to our illustrious European pedigree.

His Eredivisie experience will also come in handy against Cody Gakpo’s former employers PSV and will be another exciting match to play for the boss.

As supporters, welcoming Xabi Alonso back to Anfield will also be poignant especially given his rejection to take Jurgen Klopp’s job and Rafa Benitez’s recent comments about him.

The response in general is what we’ve come to expect from the new boss, as he remains calm and balanced in his approach to all matters.

Let’s hope he can emulate those who came before and win us another European Cup.

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