Arne Slot backs up Pep Guardiola opinion ahead of Liverpool's trip to Southampton

Arne Slot has joined Pep Guardiola successful voicing his admiration for Southampton manager Russell Martin for sticking steadfastly to his principles contempt results

Liverpool brag Arne Slot is the latest afloat paid-up subordinate of the Russell Martin instrumentality club.

Martin’s Southampton squad are bottommost of the Premier League aft winning conscionable 1 of their opening 11 games - and already look connected people for an instant instrumentality to the Championship . But Slot has joined Pep Guardiola successful voicing his admiration for the 38-year-old Saints manager for sticking steadfastly to his principles contempt coming nether immense unit to beryllium much pragmatic.

“I person a batch of respect for Russell - but I would respect immoderate manager that has antithetic principles and conscionable keeps connected doing what helium believes in,” said Slot up of his table-topping team’s travel to St Mary’s.

“I don’t deliberation it’s astir being an elite manager. I deliberation that arsenic a manager you person to judge successful thing - and, successful my opinion, instrumentality to that plan.

“If your program is that you privation to support the full crippled oregon each season, past instrumentality to that plan, due to the fact that you judge successful it.

“You are trying to person your players that that is the mode to go. So, if aft four, five, six weeks, you wholly alteration your thought astir football, that doesn’t nonstop the close awesome to your players. At slightest that’s what I think.

“Russell has his ain benignant and helium believes successful it - and no-one knows for definite that if helium oregon the nine changed the playing benignant that it would pb to much points. What we bash cognize is that helium was truly palmy with Southampton past play due to the fact that helium brought them backmost up.

“They person been successful with a accidental of taking points from each crippled I person seen Southampton play due to the fact that Russell makes it truly hard for each squad to play against them. Normally, teams that spell up request immoderate clip to accommodate to a caller league. If you person a bully thought astir shot and a bully game-plan, past results volition come.”

Guardiola was glowing astir the mode Southampton went astir their concern successful giving the champions a scare astatine the Etihad past period earlier succumbing to Erling Haaland ’s goal. A fewer weeks earlier, Saints led astatine Arsenal earlier conceding 3 goals.

Southampton yet broke their Premier League duck by beating Everton astatine the commencement of the month, portion assurance connected the southbound seashore was fixed different boost erstwhile they reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup by prevailing against Stoke.

Those wins came connected the backmost of speculation that Russell’s occupation was coming nether scrutiny. Slot said: “I don’t respect Russell conscionable for his benignant of play, but I bash similar to ticker Southampton’s games backmost that they played astatine Manchester City oregon Arsenal - oregon the different games wherever I spot precise absorbing and astute patterns of play.

“It was absorbing to ticker his teams play successful presumption of benignant of play but besides successful presumption of a game-plan. How they handled the property of City oregon however they handled the property of Arsenal, oregon Wolves.

“A batch has been said astir British managers lately, with the assignment of Thomas Tuchel (as England coach).

“But I faced Gary O’Neil, who had a precise bully game-plan with Wolves successful my sentiment - and this is again a precise absorbing manager. In 2 oregon 3 weeks, I volition look Eddie Howe, who I cognize already is simply a precise bully manager. Maybe you are not successful arsenic atrocious a spot arsenic radical marque out.”

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