‘It’s not smart’ – Arne Slot drops fresh Michael Oliver admission after Merseyside derby chaos | OneFootball

Arne Slot will know better than anyone that it’s up to him to set the standards at Liverpool Football Club regarding on-pitch behaviour.

The former Feyenoord boss lost his cool in the direct aftermath of the Reds’ 2-2 draw with Everton in the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

That said, given the nature of the finale in question, one can understand why the 46-year-old and assistant Sipke Hulshoff were apoplectic at the full-time whistle.

Ibrahima Konate, for one, had been denied what appeared to be a blatant foul ahead of James Tarkowski’s equaliser, with the Frenchman shoved in mid-air.

Then there was the foul on Mo Salah at the opposite end of the pitch ahead of the Toffees’ final attack, which somehow also went ignored.

Arne Slot speaks out on Michael Oliver controversy

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Arne Slot spoke ahead of Liverpool’s upcoming clash with Wolves at Anfield and once again admitted that emotions got the better of him during the Merseyside derby.

The coach pointed to his post-match interaction with Michael Oliver and noted he would have been better advised to ‘calm down’ before approaching the referee.

“It’s clear that I ask for my players to be calm in their heads and they were that constantly. I couldn’t have asked more from them because it was a very difficult game for them to play,” the Dutchman told Sky Sports.

“They did that really well and I had to act [differently], if I can do this one more time, of course, of course. It’s not smart because I didn’t help anyone with that.

“Like I said, emotions took over after these seven or eight minutes [of stoppage time], which was… I don’t think these seven or eight minutes will ever be the same again in terms of all the games we’ll play as a manager.

“But still, if it happens next time – I should act differently, that’s completely clear. If I could do it one more time, I’d have to go in, calm down and maybe talk to the referee afterwards. But that’s easier said than done.”

Whilst it’s important to see the Reds boss check his own behaviour after what was an extremely emotional affair at Goodison, we can’t help but feel a little aggrieved.

With the benefit of hindsight, we completely agree that there is an appropriate way to approach the officiating team and discuss matters relating to the game having been played.

But surely any neutral can acknowledge that Slot and his side were dealt a particularly bad hand by an officiating team that seemed, dare one say it, preoccupied with not upsetting the home crowd.

We can talk about fair results on the balance of play – and a draw was arguably befitting in that case – but there’s no question Liverpool were denied three points by several officiating oversights on the day.

It’s just a shame that our Dutch boss is the only one having to come out publicly and face the music.

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