Liverpool’s manager, Arne Slot, has opened up about his attempts to influence the decisions of match officials during the current season.
In a discussion with the media on Wednesday, Slot reflected on his strategy of fostering a “siege mentality” among players and fans alike at Anfield, aiming to encourage referees to lean in favor of his team during crucial moments in matches.
Slot expressed his belief that cultivating an environment where it feels as though the whole world is united against them could potentially lead to more favourable calls from officials on the pitch.
“You try to influence as much as you can,” he remarked, acknowledging the challenges and complexities involved in this approach.
He went on to admit that he has made this tactical mistake on multiple occasions, noting that he had employed similar strategies both at Liverpool and previously in the Netherlands.
“The mistake I have made two times already here, and one or two times in Holland, is that sometimes you think that creating an atmosphere of adversity can lead to some positive decisions at the end of the game,” Slot explained.
However, he candidly acknowledged that this strategy has not yielded the desired results. Referring specifically to the matches against Chelsea and Fulham, he noted that despite his efforts to create an emotionally charged atmosphere, the officiating remained consistent throughout both games.
“For the entirety of the 90 minutes, it remained unchanged. It wasn’t that after I attempted to influence things a bit, the referee suddenly awarded us a couple of free kicks,” he stated.
Instead, he observed that the referee maintained the same standards of officiating without any shifts in favour of Liverpool.
Slot ended with a sense of resignation about the futility of his attempts, saying, “I know that it doesn’t work, but sometimes you ponder: ‘Can I influence that a bit?’ Unfortunately, it didn’t help at all.”