Arne Slot’s simple solution for how Liverpool can close gap on Man City and win title

Arne Slot feels Liverpool can bridge the gap with Manchester City by improving their away record from previous season.

And the key to that for the Kop boss is to silence the home fans while they’re on the road. Liverpool finished nine points behind winners City in Jurgen Klopp’s last season.

However, the Reds outscored Pep Guardiola’s side at home by one point. The contrast between the two sides was not limited to their own patch. Both clubs lost three away games, with City winning five more.

At a critical juncture in the season, the Reds lost at Goodison Park and drew at Old Trafford against rivals Everton and Manchester United.

City finished considerably ahead of Liverpool, winning their fourth title in a row, thanks to a 10-point differential. Slot is now looking for an edge, and after being disappointed with their performance last week at Wolves, despite winning and moving them to the top of the table, he has informed his players that their away record is essential.

He stated, “If you look at it from a statistics point of view, there was a 10-point differential with City [in terms of away points gathered]. If you look at both clubs’ home records, the £10 million question is: why is this?

“I believe there are areas where we can improve, which is why it is critical to take control of every game, not just at home, but also away. I was disappointed with the opening 20 minutes against Wolves because I wanted to be really dominant away from home.”Slot feels that the crowd has a significant role in making away games more difficult. He wants his players to quiet them by controlling the game and refusing to pass up simple opportunities.

Starting today, they go to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace, who are still hunting for their first Premier League win of the season.

“I think the home and away games of Liverpool are quite similar but in general it is tougher to play away because the home fans cheer very hard if their team gets a chance, they get more confidence from that,” stated the guy from the Netherlands.”You play against the same guys (as you do at home), but they have more confidence from the supporters, making it more difficult to win away games. But there were several home games that were close, and perhaps our supporters made the difference.

“The thing is, if you’re Liverpool, and there are one or two other [top] clubs, if we go to Wolves or Palace and they get a corner kick, the fans cheer.” So this is what happens when you’re a top club.

“Everyone is looking forward to it [Liverpool coming to town] the whole week, the Palace fans, everybody is talking about, ‘Liverpool are coming,’ the players are all up for it and that is why it is tough.”