Arne Slot admits Liverpool have to be ‘close to perfection’ to secure CL spot

Arne Slot admits he is enduring by far the most challenging season of his managerial career as he attempts to secure Champions League football with Liverpool.

Sunday’s eventful 2-1 loss to Manchester City at Anfield left the reigning Premier League champions in sixth place, five points adrift of Manchester United in fourth.

Slot has faced mounting speculation about his position less than two years after he made the move from Feyenoord to succeed Jurgen Klopp.

“By a mile,” said the Dutchman when asked if it was his most difficult campaign. “Because all the other season I’ve managed there was only positives, I don’t think I’ve ever lost two games in a row (before).

“It’s an exception this season for me, as it is for the players, the players are not used to losing a lot or having a lot of draws.

“It is different with the season we’re having now than all the other seasons I’ve managed where we always did something special – and there’s still the possibility that we can do something special this season as well.”

With United undergoing a revival under Michael Carrick and Aston Villa a further three points ahead, Slot knows the challenge of breaking into the top four is getting more difficult by the week.

He said: “To close the gap of four, five points to third, fourth, fifth, that means you have to win a lot, and that’s not what we’ve done this season. That’s why that has to be better and we have to come close to perfection.

“Margins are indeed very small. Seven minutes before the end we thought we were five points behind City, and five minutes later we were 11 points behind.

“If we don’t have Champions League football, it’s definitely not been an acceptable season. When I arrived here we could only sign Federico Chiesa, and