Arne Slot spoke highly of Michael Carrick ahead of his first meeting against Manchester United’s interim head coach.
Manchester United can move six points clear of Liverpool when the two rivals face off at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Red Devils are looking to record a Premier League double over Liverpool for the first time in 10 years, after Ruben Amorim managed to come away from Anfield with three points earlier this season.
Both teams are in the process of qualifying for the Champions League, with bragging rights up for grabs regardless.
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A win will seal Champions League qualification…
Arne Slot believes Michael Carrick is responsible for Man Utd’s consistency
United have improved massively since Carrick was appointed interim head coach.
With 9 wins in 13 matches, United are sitting third in the Premier League with four games remaining.
“Last season we played them [United] they were not in the same league position, I said their players were better than the position, another transfer window added players, and I would say that resulted in us finally seeing how good their players are,” Slot told reporters at his press conference.
“They are showing how good they are in the table. It’s an advantage they play once a week, but when I analyse them, I see how good they are. They have become under Carrick more consistent in their results.”
Liverpool have struggled for form since winning the Premier League title last term, but the pressure is on Slot.
There is some irony in Slot’s comments, too. The Liverpool boss is correct in what he says about United becoming more consistent, but he overlooks the fact that he was never able to beat Amorim in his two meetings against the Portuguese coach.
| Metric | Arne Slot | Ruben Amorim |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 0 | 1 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| Losses | 1 | 0 |
| Goals Scored | 2 | 3 |
A defeat on Sunday could lead to more Liverpool fans turning against their Dutch manager.
- ⚡️ NEWS IN BRIEF
- Arne Slot impressed by Michael Carrick’s job at Manchester United
- The Liverpool manager outlines how United have become more consistent under Carrick
- Albeit accurate, there is some irony in Slot’s comments
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Arne Slot confirms Alisson Becker won’t return against Man Utd
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker was always a doubt for this match.
The Brazilian stopper has not featured for Slot’s side since March 18 due to an injury.
Slot gave an update on Alisson’s fitness and stressed that the game against United comes too soon for the experienced keeper.
“For us it’s a bonus every player that comes back because now if you add Mo [Salah] to the injury list, it’s getting longer and longer, but that’s been throughout the whole season.
“Ali hasn’t trained with us yet. [He is] very close to training with us, I have to hear today from the medical staff if he is able to train today or either tomorrow or otherwise the start of next week.
“He is very close but of course, also we don’t want to take any risks, because that’s never what you do with a player and that’s also not what we do now.”
The Dutchman also revealed left-back Milos Kerkez has picked up niggles in training this week.
“Milos has had some niggles, left the training pitch not yesterday but the day before,” he added.
“But I expect him to either train today or tomorrow.”
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