‘It couldn’t be worse!’ – Phil Thompson dispenses Liverpool warning ahead of Premier League opener
While Phil Thompson will surely be pleased with the promise that Liverpool are showing under Arne Slot in pre-season, he’s warned fans not to get too carried away just yet.
The Dutchman’s first competitive game in charge takes him to Ipswich Town on 17 August as the Reds commence their Premier League campaign against a newly-promoted team for the fifth time in six years.
The ex-LFC captain’s talkSPORT colleague Jeff Stelling rattled off our opening five games of the season and, tongue in cheek, asked the 70-year-old if he thinks we’ll be top of the table after those fixtures.
Thompson certainly wasn’t getting ahead of himself, replying: “We couldn’t get a worse start! A promoted team, first game of the season, and it’s got the dreaded half 12 [kick-off]. It couldn’t be worse! It’s going to be a tough game.”
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Thompson’s reply is just the kind of grounded rhetoric that you’d expect from Slot or a current manager, but the pundit is right to preach a message of wariness around the Ipswich clash.
As he correctly pointed out, Kieran McKenna’s side will still be on a massive high from two consecutive promotions and begin the season with the perfect opportunity to bloody the noses of a major top-flight club in front of raucous support at Portman Road.
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If the Liverpool head coach is looking for an example to warn his team against complacency, he need only look at Brentford’s Premier League debut three years ago, when they made the most of home advantage to beat Arsenal 2-0 on the opening night of the campaign and instantly announce themselves in the division.
The Reds’ players shouldn’t need to be reminded of the potential for upsets in this league – we’ve been on the end of a few of them before – and Slot will be drilling it into them in the week leading up to the Ipswich game that taking the Tractor Boys lightly could be a grievous error.
Hopefully LFC’s attitude will be spot-on in East Anglia in 11 days’ time and our quality will shine through against an opponent who provide the epitome of a banana skin.
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