Liverpool manager Arne Slott has defended his side after two successive below-par performances, but admitted they must be more clinical to prevent them relying on good luck for the rest of the season.
A 2-2 draw with rivals Manchester United and a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham in the EFL Cup brought some sparkle to Sloat's impressive debut campaign.
But the Dutchman believes his side's standards have not dropped as he prepares for an FA Cup clash with League Two side Accrington Stanley on Saturday.
“I think we are still the same team, in terms of performance,” he said.
“I've said many times, in a lot of the games we've won, maybe the only exception is Chelsea, but all the other games we deserved to win but never by a big margin, it was always very close.
Jarrell Quansah and Dominik Szoboszlai are set to return to action in the Emirates FA Cup tie against Accrington Stanley 👊
– Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 10, 2025
“What can we improve? Increase the margin, otherwise you are always going to depend on a little bit of luck or a little bit of bad luck as well or on certain decisions made by the referee.
“We have to make sure that we no longer rely on those moments and that is the next step we want to do if we want to no longer rely on luck or bad luck.
“Because of the results, people judge you on the performance. It's not so much that if a team draws or loses, people say they played really well.
Liverpool last won the FA Cup in 2022 and have only played Stanley once before – a 2-0 win at Anfield in the 1956 FA Cup.
The Reds are likely to make changes and rotate their squad, with Slott awaiting the availability of midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai and defender Jarel Quansah.
“Every game is an opportunity for them to play,” he said. “Dom trained with the Under-21 team yesterday.
“Jarrell was a bit ill last week and as a result I had to replace him against Tottenham but I expect him to be available for tomorrow.
“Yes, we know we can use these players in every game, as well as in the game we play on Saturday.”
