Liverpool manager Arne Slott was full of praise for Ruben Amorim's Manchester United, insisting the club's lowly league position was not an accurate reflection of their quality.
Slott will face Amorim on Sunday afternoon when United travel to Anfield for a highly-anticipated fixture. Premier League compliance. The two most successful clubs in English football history have enjoyed and endured contrasting campaigns so far.
While the Merseyside outfit sit at the top of the Premier League and Champions League Tables, United have lost four games in a row for the second time since 1961. The Red Devils are languishing in the bottom half of the top flightwith less than half the points of their eternal rivals at the halfway point of the season.
Slott was asked in his pre-match press conference if he would rest any of his key players against an opponent that started the weekend in 14th place. “A strange question,” laughed the Dutch coach, “no I don't plan. It's a big game. For me, I said it before the first game and once again, they have much better players than it shows league table.
“It will take some time, maybe, for Ruben Amorim, but they will definitely grow and they are much, much, much better than the league table shows.”
Liverpool's boss admitted he had “sympathy” for his United counterpart, who have lost six of their first 11 games. “He did very well at Sporting,” noted Slot. “He has a good squad of players and eventually he will bring the best out of them.”
As Slot recalled, United battled to a goalless draw on their last visit to Anfield in December 2023, despite conceding 34 shots. “Every game is difficult in the Premier League,” the manager emphasized. “It's more important that they win at Anfield, we have to prepare really well.”