Arne Slot calls current season toughest 'by a mile' as manager

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has said that the current season is the toughest of his career as a manager.

After a defeat against Manchester City on Sunday, the Premier League champions are now in sixth position on the table, four points behind fifth-place Chelsea.

The Reds are level on points with Brentford and could have dropped to seventh place on goal difference had Rayan Cherki's late third goal for City not been disallowed.

Arne Slot was appointed Liverpool coach in June 2024 after Jurgen Klopp left the job at Anfield.

The Dutch coach led the club to a record-equalling 20th Premier League title in his debut season in charge.

The Slot managed side has struggled this season despite spending almost £450m on new signings.

Liverpool have won 11 games, drawn six and lost eight in the English top-flight so far.

When asked by BBC Sport if it was the toughest season he has had, Slot said: "By a mile. All the other seasons I have managed, there was only positives.

"I don't think I have ever lost two games in a row [until now]. It's an exception for me, I am not used to it.

"I don't think we feel we've only lost two of our last 17. A draw feels like a loss.

"The players know what the standards of Liverpool mean and we aren't performing to those standards. They feel that disappointment."

For the unversed, the likelihood is that five Premier League clubs, instead of the usual four, will make it to next season's Champions League.