Arne Slot 'not worried' about standards at Liverpool, 'completely convinced' players will step up next season

Following last weekend's 3-2 defeat to Manchester United, Van Dijk said that Liverpool's season has been "unacceptable" and there was "a lot of work to be done behind the scenes".

Speaking last week, Salah said that "it is very important" to have the highest standards at the club - such as arriving early for a gym session - if they want to get back to winning ways on the pitch following his impending departure this summer.

Ahead of Liverpool's clash against Chelsea on Saturday, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max, Slot was quizzed about potential concerns over the culture within the squad at Anfield, which the Liverpool boss quickly played down.

"You are saying things and then implying something else," he said.

"The first question is, does Virgil mean the same thing as Mo is saying, and what Mo is saying is that standards are really important for a football club. I cannot agree more with him.

"I didn’t hear him say that the standards are not OK now. Did you? I’m not worried about that, let me put it like that.

"I’m not worried that the standards will be lower next season than they were this season, or the season before, or the season before. At all."

Liverpool are currently in fourth place in the Premier League table, after winning the league last season and then making statement summer signings such as Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.

Asked whether he feels that the fans may have the same concerns as Van Dijk and Salah, Slot said that he wished he were "able to say what I feel in the moment, but I can't".

Slot continued: "I completely agree with Mo about how important standards are and I think they are in a good place at the moment.

"Of course, it makes sense also that younger players, whether on this [first team side] or the U7 players at the academy, get the example of players like Mo and others, for them to understand, to know what it takes to play every three days at this level.

"I think that our younger players have improved in this already, and I am completely convinced that we have enough players next season, and add to that the ones we will sign, to put the standards in the place they are needed.

"The standards are not only important in the gym, it’s also on the pitch."

Liverpool have lost the likes of manager Jurgen Klopp and star players Jordan Henderson and James Milner in recent years, with long-standing stars Salah and Andy Robertson set to leave at the end of this season.

Slot was asked whether Liverpool will be looking to sign "leaders" in the summer transfer window, to which the Dutchman replied: "We already have them. Senior players are not the only ones who set the standards at a club.

"I look at Paris Saint-Germain. [Desire] Doue, what is he? 20? How old is [Khvicha] Kvaratskhelia? 24? Now, can they set standards for another generation?

"I don’t know what time they are in the gym, by the way, but what I do know is that they set the right standards on the pitch, and this is what Mo did when he was 26, when other players were here.

"I don’t think it comes down to age, that only 32 or 33 or 34-year-olds can set standards. They have lived it, experienced it, know what it takes to play at this level, but come on, we are not talking about Florian Wirtz or Hugo [Ekitike] or Alex [Isak] and the players we have signed.

"These are not children, they are serious professionals who know what it takes to play at this level as well, with the addition that they now know what it takes to play in the Premier League at this level, knowing what you have to do, so it can only be better.

"Standards cannot only be set by 34-year-olds, even if they have been a big help in recent seasons, and Virgil will be a big help again next season.

"Standards can also be set by a 20-year-old Doue, or by a 26-year-old Mo Salah, who played for Liverpool then, and who was also the first one in the gym when he was 26. He didn’t only start that when he got into his 30s."

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