Arne Slot faced vocal discontent from Liverpool fans after the draw with Tottenham Hotspur but he is now aiming for European progress
First came the whistles, then came the boos. Now Arne Slot will be hoping for a different tune both on and off the pitch as Liverpool look for a comeback that can resonate beyond this evening.
The Reds entertain Galatasaray in their Champions League round of 16 clash this evening with ears still ringing from the relentless din of Rams Park in a 1-0 defeat in Istanbul last week and then the jeers that greeted full-time of a dire home Premier League draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Save the 220 Galatasaray VIPs situated in the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand, a UEFA ban on away supporters means a sell-out Anfield will host what may be the stadium's largest ever collective of Liverpool supporters for a competitive match.
But with four defeats in their last 12 games, the Reds continue to splutter their way through a season that has fallen way short of expectations after the dizzying heights of their title-winning campaign.
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And Slot accepts the patience is now being tested of even the most loyal Reds followers – with there being only one way to change that.
"People told me when I came here that this club is different than other clubs," he said. "They will support the manager for such, such, such a long time.
"So if it's true what you're saying (that the boos were aimed at him) – I don't feel this at all, but you are supposing something – then I must have done a lot of things wrong.
"And that's never a nice feeling to have, because being in the club that's always so supportive for the manager in good and bad times, if they are not happy with me then apparently I've done so many things wrong.
"But I also know how the football industry works. Winning can change a lot. That's what we are trying to achieve and we're completely ready for that, I can tell you that."
Slot added: "I did something wrong in the season we that we won the league and I definitely did make a few decisions that were not perfect in hindsight. But all the decisions I've made I've always made for the same reason, to help us to try to win the game.
"All the decisions I've made are to put the team into a situation that they create more chances than the other team and that you outwork the opponent.
"I can say at this club and all the other clubs I've worked, 80-90% of the games I've managed my teams have outworked the other teams and my teams have created more chances than the other team."
Asked about whether Liverpool anthem You'll Never Walk Alone is increasingly relevant given the team's current predicament, Slot added: "It's a beautiful song that we always hear before the game and that immediately gives us the right vibe.
"We always feel we have the support of the fans so that indeed means that we never feel we walk alone. We will not feel that (against Galatasaray) as well. I've never felt alone over here, not one minute since I've been here."
Liverpool also lost 1-0 at Galatasaray in the league stage but recovered sufficiently to finish third in the table, with the Turkish side ultimately progressing to the knockout stages via the play-offs.
"What makes it difficult is we've played them already twice and we lost twice against them," said Slot. "The good thing is that now for the first time we play at home. And we have the support of our fans, which will be supportive again because that's what they've always been and will always be for this club."
The Reds boss, though, has urged his players not to feel sorry for themselves in the wake of recent setbacks and instead embrace the prospect of a place in the last eight of the Champions League.
"We can look at the goal we conceded against Tottenham and think everything is going against us, or we say we deserve to be here and we have a chance to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League," said Slot.
"We completely deserve to be in this round of 16 for all the things we have done well in the Champions League. We have beaten Real Madrid and Atletico here, we have beaten Inter and Marseille away.
"We feel the importance of this game. We are able to reach the quarter-final of the Champions League. That would be special for me as it would be my first. It would be special for all of us, we can never take a Champions League quarter-final for granted. We would all be happy to reach that."