Arne Slot, the manager of Bournemouth, has expressed his surprise at Liverpool’s commanding lead in the Premier League table in his first season. As they prepare to face Bournemouth on Saturday, Liverpool currently sit six points ahead of second-placed Arsenal, with a game in hand against Everton. The Opta supercomputer gives Liverpool a 91.8% chance of winning the Premier League title for the second time this season, and Slot hopes this is just the beginning of their success.
In an interview with BBC Sport’s Football Focus, Slot also addressed Liverpool’s lack of transfer activity in January. He stated that he did not expect Liverpool to be at the top of the table with such a significant margin after 20 games. He also mentioned his surprise at Manchester City’s poor run of form. Slot believes that Liverpool should always be competing for the league title and the Champions League, and he aims to maintain the club at that level. He explained that the reason for their limited transfer activity is because they are happy with their current squad.
Liverpool is currently unbeaten in 18 Premier League games, but their upcoming opponents, Bournemouth, are also on an impressive unbeaten run of 11 games. Since matchday 13, Bournemouth has accumulated the most points in the Premier League (25), including a 5-0 victory over Nottingham Forest last week.
Bournemouth coach Andoni Iraola emphasized that they will continue to take things one game at a time. He acknowledged that their next match against Liverpool will be challenging but expressed confidence in their current form. Despite having a thin squad, Iraola stated that they will regroup and try to recover at least one more player.
The article also highlights two players to watch in the upcoming match. Tyler Adams from Bournemouth has been impressive this season, leading the Premier League in tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes among players with at least 500 minutes played. Mohamed Salah from Liverpool has scored 19 goals this season and is on track to achieve his fifth 20-goal season in the Premier League.
The article concludes with a prediction that Liverpool will win the match against Bournemouth. While Bournemouth has had success against top teams this season, Liverpool has a strong record against them and has only failed to score in one of their 15 Premier League meetings. The Opta win probability favors Liverpool with a 51.5% chance of victory, compared to Bournemouth’s 25.3% and a 23.2% chance of a draw.
