Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net

Arne Slot and Michael Owen

Arne Slot has laughed off the theory his Liverpool side will have underachieved this season, even if they win the title, insisting: "If you can win the Premier League with this club then nothing else matters."

And the Reds boss believes it is more difficult than ever to become champions of England due to the overall quality of the top flight.

Article continues below

The Reds suffered a difficult week prior to the March international break when they were knocked out of the Champions League to Paris Saint-Germain on March 11 before losing the Carabao Cup final to Newcastle United at Wembley later that week.



READ MORE:'It is funny now' - Arne Slot discusses Liverpool futures of Diogo Jota and Darwin NunezREAD MORE:'Impossible to say' - What the Liverpool squad think of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid speculation

Those back-to-back defeats led to some suggestions during the two-week break that picking up the one trophy remaining in the form of a 20th championship might represent an underwhelming return given what was still on offer before the mid-March wobble.

That was something Virgil van Dijk rejected in a post-match chat with Michael Owen after Wednesday's Merseyside derby win over Everton, bristling at the suggestion, saying: "I think we need to change that narrative a little bit." Slot has now backed his captain's stance, saying the league title is still the most important at a club like Liverpool.

"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?" Slot asked.

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 Premier League with this club then nothing else matters I would say.

If you do it 10 times in a row then I could understand that people say: ‘Oh but you only win the Premier League’.

"If Manchester City 'only' won the Premier League then I could understand people saying: ‘It’s not a good season for City’.

If Virgil has this opinion as well then I agree with him.

"I think the league is better than it ever was, that is what people are always saying.

That’s what I hear a lot because 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 because so many more teams are having so many more good players.

"I think he even said what I have said the whole year, that all clubs, even some who are fighting against relegation, have some players who can play for City, for Arsenal, for us, for Chelsea and for these type of teams.

Article continues below

"The reason why teams you might expect to have more points don’t have them is because the league has become stronger.
For more news relating to Manchester City, visit our sister site City Latest Live.