Evening Standard
·29. November 2024
Evening Standard
·29. November 2024
Real Madrid star lavish in his praise of the Reds after Champions League defeat
Arne Slot has reacted to Jude Bellingham’s claim that Liverpool are the “best-performing team in Europe”.
The Real Madrid star was speaking after his side’s 2-0 Champions League defeat at Anfield on Wednesday night as Slot’s side continued their remarkable season.
They sit top of the pile in Europe and in the Premier League too as Slot continues to make light work of replacing the iconic Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool have enjoyed a record-breaking start under his watch. No manager in Premier League history had ever won nine of their first ten matches until the former Feyenoord boss arrived, while the 46-year-old became only the third coach in League history to win ten of their first 12 games.
Despite a slow summer transfer window, the Merseyside giants look in imperious form and could take a major step towards a second Premier League title on Sunday if they can beat crisis-stricken Manchester City at Anfield. Slot’s side lead the champions by eight points already and a victory would extend that to a whopping 11.
Jude Bellingham’s Real Madrid were beaten at Liverpool
Action Images via Reuters
Speaking after Madrid’s defeat, Bellingham – who was strongly linked with a move to Liverpool in the summer of 2023 – claimed: “It's a bad result against the best-performing team in Europe. It's no disgrace to come here and lose but we are disappointed in the way how we performed.”
Asked about those comments on Thursday, Slot said: “If he talks about results in the Champions League, so if you are number one in the Champions League league table, then it’s true that when it comes to results, we have been in the last five games the best-performing team.
“But I said it last night already, the best team in Europe is still Real Madrid because they won the Champions League last season and the one that wins it this season can say they are the one that’s then [the best]. At this moment in time, it is only five games in for us.”
Liverpool host City in a huge clash on Sunday, with Pep Guardiola having already admitted defeat would leave his title hopes in tatters.
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