Slot eyes strong second half as Reds dream of quadruple

Arne Slot did not use the word, though Jurgen Klopp became quite familiar with it.

- RICHARD JOLLY

In two of the German's last three campaigns, Liverpool challenged for the quadruple. Last season, their bid for glory on four fronts lasted until the end of March, until they were knocked out of the FA Cup after an epic comeback from bitter rivals Manchester United. Two years earlier, they came closer than anyone arguably ever has, reaching the penultimate game of the campaign with a chance of four trophies. They ended 2021-22, however, without the two biggest prizes: runners-up in the Premier League, they became beaten finalists in the Champions League.

They came second in the two competitions that matter most. Now they are first in each, with a commanding lead in the Premier League and the only 100 per cent record in the Champions League. With an FA Cup third-round tie at home to Accrington, it is safe to say a quadruple will at least remain a potential outcome into February; it is a side effect of a month’s gap between the two legs of the Carabao Cup semi-finals. And as Liverpool return to Tottenham a few weeks after a 6-3 win there, they are favourites when they face Ange Postecoglou’s entertainers again tonight.