Liverpool’s Slot says pressure growing

LIVERPOOL, England:

Liverpool coach Arne Slot believes the pressure is growing after Liverpool's alarming losing run, he said on Thursday.

The defending English Premier League champions have lost nine of their last 12 games in all competitions. The 4-1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday was a third in succession when Liverpool have lost by three goals or more.

While Slot said after the match that he felt safe in his position, he also accepts the run brings extra heat.

"There's a lot of pressure if you work or play at a top club and even more so if you start losing more games than this club, or these players or this manager, is used to. So then there's always pressure," said the Liverpool coach.

"But there was a lot of pressure last season as well for us to win the league and now it's a different kind of pressure because we've lost so many games."

Liverpool's title defence is unravelling after six losses in their last seven league games.

They bare 12th in the standings, 11 points behind first-place Arsenal.

Slot was near faultless in his first season at Anfield, leading the club to a record-equalling 20th league crown by a 10-point margin over runners-up Arsenal. Stepping into one of the most daunting jobs in soccer, he made light of succeeding Liverpool great Jurgen Klopp and was widely expected to retain the title.

But his team has looked a shadow of the one that was crowned champion in May, despite spending around $500 million (PS377 million) in the offseason on star players like Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.

Liverpool travel to West Ham on Sunday in danger of being cut further adrift in the title race.

- AP