Arne Slot was taken aback by Michael Owen’s line of questioning when speaking to Virgil van Dijk after the Merseyside derby.
When the former Liverpool striker suggested to the Dutch defender that the Reds’ season would be less ‘special’ if they were to win the Premier League but nothing else, our captain retorted that lifting the domestic title would be a standout achievement and was determined to ‘change the narrative’ around his team.
A couple of days later, the LFC head coach joined his skipper in taking the pundit to task over his implication that winning the league wouldn’t be a huge feat and also rubbished wider suggestions that the quality of the English top flight has diminished this season compared to previous years.
Slot hits out over Owen interview
In relation to the Owen/Van Dijk interview, Slot reflected (via Daily Mail): “Let me understand it right, Virgil was a bit frustrated because it came across as it’s not enough to ‘only’ win the Premier League? Michael played for us, didn’t he? So he is aware of the fact that in 35 years we won the league once?
“There is your answer. If you can win the league with this club then, phew, nothing else matters. If you do it 10 times in a row then I could understand that people say, ‘Oh but you only win the Premier League’.
“At this club, you can compete for it and let alone win it, then it is a strange question to ask in my opinion. If Virgil has this opinion as well then I agree with him. I follow the Dutch media a bit more than the media here and… no, let’s leave it!
“I think the league is better than it ever was, the strength overall is getting better. I think even Pep [Guardiola] said there will not be a team again as long as he lives that gets more than 100 points and wins the league four times in a row.”
A league title this year would mean so much to Liverpool
Slot is right to challenge the suggestion that ‘merely’ winning the Premier League wouldn’t constitute a cause for celebration for Liverpool, especially when so few pundits even mentioned us in pre-season discussions about potential title winners.
Lifting the title this year wouldn’t end as long a wait as our previous triumph, but it’d still feel particularly special given that Reds fans were deprived of a proper celebration in 2020 due to the global pandemic.
Even for a club of LFC’s track record, winning silverware should never be taken for granted. Before our Champions League triumph in 2019, we’d won just one trophy in 13 years (League Cup in 2012), so we’ve been spoiled by comparison in recent times.
Slot is also right to highlight that the quality of the Premier League overall is quite high – look at the sustained improvements made by the likes of Newcastle, Aston Villa and Brighton. Broadcasters in this country love to champions England’s top flight as the best in the world, so online suggestions to the contrary are nothing but jealousy of Liverpool’s dominance this season.
If the Reds are on the winners’ podium at Anfield in seven weeks’ time, not one single player, fan or coach associated with the club will be bothered in the slightest about external naysayers!
Well said to both Arne and Virgil. Winning the league is a huge achievement. I love Michael Owen, and he had some really great games for us but please don’t belittle the EPL title.
Michael Owen is a traitor
Yes he should not talk about Liverpool he was a greedy fellow for money ended up Zero in Real Madrid.Latr joined our utmost enemy and ended up a looser so better Zip his mouth and talk nothing
Owen’s question is not out of line in my opinion; mid-season we were in position to seriously challenge for more silverware but in a short few weeks that all disappeared. As a life-long Reds fan, I am disappointed. Slots can’t tell me it wouldn’t have been more special if he won more – our performance against Newcastle was poor! Especially after easily dismissing them shortly before.
I think Owen should mind tending to his horses and leave Liverpool alone !! has no right what so ever to meddle in Liverpool’s affairs since he did put his tail between the legs and ran to Madrid
If the Premier league is so poor this year how come Arsenal or City or United or the rest are not 12 points clear at the top. Oh, that’s right because we’ve been better than them all season. But Arsenal have had injuries. We’ll we were 9 points clear before they had any.
He will never be classed as a legend of the club won a few cups and ended up with the arch enemy which to Liverpool fans is betrayal ,on yer bike mikey no one cares what he says
Owen is a sour little magot. Left Liverpool and became a Has Been….
Nothing out of his mouth is relevant because he is a Nobody in the eyes of the Liverpool fans or the club.
A little tosser is more revelant than him….
like Owen but not after this……. very much sound uneducated.
Michael Owen is a traitor
Liverpool can’t claim, so is Manchester United and Real Madrid. He is a homeless legend
Who cares what Michael Owen’s thinks?
I think his credibility was shot as his career
Owen’s question is not out of line in my opinion; mid-season we were in position to seriously challenge for more silverware but in a short few weeks that all disappeared. As a life-long Reds fan, I am disappointed. Slots can’t tell me it wouldn’t have been more special if he won more – our performance against Newcastle was poor! Especially after easily dismissing them shortly before.
Michael Owen is jealous…he is a loser…he actually feels he did not earn enough when he was a player.. compared to current salaries..
He needs to reset…
Sad he feels the premier league is not important….also he does not understand how his record s was broken.
The epl title, is a big win for any team in England; Liverpool did so well this season and Arne Slot, a 1st timer in the league, lifting it, is a great one for him and LFC/Mgt.
Having been touted and as possible quadrapple winners until recently, all Mikey meant was a winning the league alone would feel “not enough” for a team that has given so much towards all competitions. The EPL remains the best league in the world and continues to go from strength to strength. That you have giants like Man U struggling in the bottom half and Nottingham Forest hobnobbing with the big boys in the top four speaks volumes about the integrity and competitiveness of the league.
YNWA
Winning the Premier League is the Holy Grail of English Football, consistency. over 38 games is what wins the league, cup competitions are a welcome distraction, but the league should always be the priority for clubs to win.