Slot says he is Postecoglou ‘fan’

Liverpool manager Arne Slot says he is a fan of Ange Postecoglou’s gung-ho approach to football and hopes he wins a trophy – just not the League Cup – after the teams were paired together in the semi-finals.

Premier League leaders Liverpool also travel to face Spurs in the English top flight tomorrow, needing to win to keep fast-charging Chelsea at bay.

Tottenham, chasing their first trophy since 2008, beat Manchester United 4-3 in a chaotic League Cup quarter-final on Thursday.

Postecoglou has been criticised by some for his unwillingness to compromise on his attacking instincts but he gave a passionate defence of his approach after the match, asking: “Are you not entertained?”

And Slot admits he is a devotee of the Australian’s methods, saying his team are a “joy” to watch.

“I hope, hope, hope that he wins a trophy,” he said yesterday.

“Not the League Cup but I’m completely a fan of his team for the Europa League because people always talk about trophies, trophies, trophies, and that is so important.

“Now, for me, his brand of football, his style of football is so much more important and if he can combine it with something, that would be so good for football in general because then people can stop talking about it as too attacking or whatever.

“How on earth can you play too much attacking football?”

Liverpool had a nine-point cushion at the top of the Premier League earlier this month but Chelsea could be at the summit when Slot’s team kick off in London tomorrow.

Slot, whose team have a game in hand on their rivals, said it was too early to make judgements.

“I look at it like I’ve said for the three, four, five months – judge the table after 19 games because then everybody has played the same opponents,” he said.

“Probably we all had a bit of the same bad luck and a bit of the same luck, that means Arsenal for example had a lot of red cards in the beginning of the season, that’s why they dropped points.

“Now we were unfortunate to receive a red card (Andy Robertson was sent off in last week’s 2-2 draw with Fulham) and we dropped points as well . . . Don’t look at it where you were during the season – it is about where you are at the end of the season.” – SuperSport.