Arne Slot has called on Liverpool fans to create a terrific Anfield atmosphere ahead of what is potentially a title-winning day for the Reds, echoing Virgil van Dijk’s rallying cry.
Liverpool needs just a point to secure the Premier League title against Tottenham Hotspur, a scenario that seems likely given Slot’s side has lost one home league game all season and Spurs haven’t beaten a team outside the bottom three since the middle of February.
But Slot has been conscious of keeping his composure and poise – as has been the case all season – and, in his final message to match-going fans, reiterated his stance that getting the points on the board is the only thing he is thinking about before the game.
“The overriding message today is very simple – we have a job to do,” Slot wrote in his matchday program notes. “It is a job that everyone associated with Liverpool FC should be excited about because the possibilities it creates are there for all to see but, as with every other game we have played this season, hard work will be absolutely crucial.
“So focusing on the job at hand is not just desirable, it is absolutely essential. On and off the pitch, our aim has to be to get as close as we possibly can to our A-game.”
Key to Liverpool’s inevitable title triumph is the team’s consistency and ability to grind out wins. That doesn’t come by fluke or luck, but from hours of dedicated commitment behind the scenes, as Slot reminded fans.
“Finishing top of this league would be an incredible achievement and having put ourselves in a position to do so, we now need to finish the work that began all the way back in the summer of last year. The effort that has gone into each and every training session and each and every game since then has been remarkable but it has also been an absolute necessity.
(Image: PA)
“Imagine for a second if those standards had been dropped on only one or two occasions. I have no doubt that we would find ourselves in a different situation today if that had happened. That it hasn’t is testament to every single player, every single staff member and every single supporter. The story of this season for us is that everyone has pushed each other on.
“I could pay endless compliments to all involved and hopefully the time for that will come but the most important thing right now is that we all recognise that this would not be the time to stop.”
There was one last request made of the supporters before the big game: “To our fans, this message is tinged with gratitude. Every time we have needed you so far this season, you have delivered. In our most testing moments you have lifted the team to a level that has helped us to win games that might have got away from us otherwise.
“It must feel like I am always asking for things from you but the reason for this is simple – like many at Liverpool before me, I have seen the difference that our crowd can and does make. This is why our players and our supporters have been able to create something special between them. Today we have an opportunity to do the same again. We should make the most of it.”
