Liverpool manager Arne Slot has expressed his frustration with Premier League referees this season, suggesting that his players often make better decisions than the officials.
Slot received a yellow card for protesting to the fourth official during Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Fulham on Saturday. The match saw Andy Robertson sent off in the 17th minute, and Liverpool twice came from behind in a dramatic encounter at Anfield.
The yellow card was Slot’s third of the season, resulting in a touchline ban for Liverpool’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Southampton on Wednesday.
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Reflecting on the incident that led to his booking, Slot said: “In general, I am calm, but there’s a limit for me—let’s put it that way—and then I can get emotional. Unfortunately, that limit is often reached by refereeing decisions, more so than the decisions my players make. They make more good decisions than the referees do, in my opinion. For my team.”
Slot admitted that he “probably deserved” his yellow card against Fulham. “I could have gotten five, maybe,” he joked. “To come out with one, maybe I should thank the referee for that.”
The Dutch coach was also booked during Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal, though he insisted he “didn’t deserve” the booking, explaining it was a misunderstanding over something he said to one of his own players.
Slot’s first yellow card came in Liverpool’s narrow win over Chelsea in October, a match he described as emotional due to controversial decisions, including a VAR reversal of a potential second penalty. “Maybe I should stay just underneath [the line] rather than going above,” Slot reflected. “It is what it is.”