Arne Slot accepts ‘mistake’ as Liverpool boss prepares for touchline ban

Liverpool boss Arne Slot accepts he let his emotions get the better of him at the weekend but is hopeful his touchline ban will not have a major impact.

Slot must sit in the stands for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final at Southampton after collecting a third booking of the season in the 2-2 draw against Fulham on Saturday.

The Dutchman is usually a becalmed figure in the technical area – particularly when compared to his excitable predecessor Jurgen Klopp – but he admits he overstepped the mark and should tone it down.

Speaking at a press conference, Slot said: “You always reflect. I think in general I’m calm but – I don’t know if it’s smart to say this – there’s also a limit for me, let’s put it that way, then I can get emotional.

“Unfortunately, that limit is earlier reached by referee decisions than the decisions my players make, because they make more good decisions than the referees do, in my opinion, for my team!

“But I don’t always think you have to show it to have that fire. I think it’s clear that if you work in a club like this, or around the world at a top club, you do have this fire inside of you that you want to win every game, and you try to influence as much as you can.

“The mistake I’ve made two times already here, and one or two times in Holland, is that sometimes you think that creating an atmosphere that the whole world is against you can lead to some positive decisions in the end of the game.

“But here until now it stayed the same, it didn’t change. It didn’t help at all.”

Slot has no complaints about the booking he received at the weekend but is confident he will be able to work around his punishment.

He said: “If you are suspended in Holland then you’re not allowed to be in and around the dressing room, you cannot do the media as well.

“This is a lighter version of suspension, I would say, than I’m used to – but I’ve never been used to being suspended as it’s the first time.

“I think I’m still able to do the things I want to do. The moment you have the least impact on your team is during the (two) 45 minutes, and the most impact you can have is at half-time or before the game. Those are the things I can do.

“In an ideal situation I would have just been on the sideline but I got a yellow, which I probably deserved. It happens.”

Slot is set to rest some of his regular starters for the tie as he looks ahead to the Premier League leaders’ trip to Tottenham on Sunday.

Diogo Jota, who scored as a substitute on his return from injury against Fulham, will also not start having not trained on Monday. Slot said the Portuguese is still not “completely fit”.

Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher will return in goal having recently impressed while deputising for Alisson Becker during his lay-off and defender Kostas Tsimikas is nearing a return.

Tsimikas could replace the suspended Andy Robertson if he proves his fitness and Alexis Mac Allister is back from a ban. Federico Chiesa could get some minutes as he builds up his fitness but Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate are still sidelined.