Liverpool head coach Arne Slot believes his side are too honest for their own good, insisting their reluctance to dive is costing them free-kicks. Slot is adamant he will not instruct his players to change their approach, but remains aggrieved that Ryan Gravenberch was booked for simulation against Crystal Palace in May.
Slot argues that Liverpool are the fairest team in the Premier League, yet feels they are penalised for their honesty. He cited an incident in the Community Shield where new signing Florian Wirtz stayed on his feet after a challenge, and referee Chris Kavanagh did not award a free-kick. “They hold Florian in midfield and he didn’t fall over, and the referee says ‘If you don’t fall, I don’t give a free-kick,’ which is a little bit weird,” Slot said.
Gravenberch is suspended for Liverpool’s Premier League opener against Bournemouth on Friday after receiving a straight red card against Palace, though Slot noted the midfielder’s first yellow card was for diving. “If there is one team in the league that is, in my opinion, the most honest when we play, it is us,” the Dutchman added.
Slot watched his former club Feyenoord lose a Champions League qualifier to Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce and observed that they were more streetwise than Liverpool. However, he is reluctant to change Liverpool’s style, citing their Premier League title win last season as evidence that honesty can succeed. “We won the league last season with the team we were, so let us stay who we are,” he said.
