Match'We remember how tough Ipswich can make it' - Arne Slot's programme notes
Arne Slot is anticipating another challenging meeting with Ipswich Town at Anfield today.
Liverpool host Kieran McKenna’s side in a 3pm GMT kick-off in the reverse fixture from the opening day of the season when, in Slot’s first competitive match as head coach, second-half goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah secured a hard-fought 2-0 win.
The head coach remembers well the difficulties his team encountered at Portman Road and expects the same this afternoon.
Slot writes in his notes for the official matchday programme: “Ipswich gave us a really difficult first half but we managed the situation much better in the second half and were ultimately able to show our quality.
“This was definitely a game which underlined the saying that there are no easy fixtures in the Premier League. Ipswich made such a fight of it and made it so difficult for us that we had to search within ourselves to find the answers.
“Ultimately, we were able to do so but we should not expect today’s game to be any less challenging, particularly as Ipswich have improved and become more experienced at this level since the first weekend of the season.
“I know that going into this game there will be some focus on Ipswich’s last game but we will not make the mistake of thinking that result is representative of their season because it is actually the opposite and their competitiveness is clear.
“We also will not use the league table as a gauge of how this game will be. I have said many times that where the English league is different to the league in Holland is that it is not so easy to predict how matches will go based on placings in the table.
“Up to now we have had difficult games against Wolves, Ipswich, Leicester City and Southampton and they are the teams in the bottom four.
“With this experience and knowledge we should definitely expect today’s test to be no different so it is up to us to recognise the challenge and rise to it.”
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