NO 'STUPID BALLS' ALLOWED

Liverpool manager Arne Slot joked on Jan 24 that his father sometimes complains that his football is not "exciting" enough.

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English Premier League leaders Liverpool, six points clear of second-placed Arsenal, play relegation-threatened Ipswich Town on Jan 25 but he is expecting a difficult game.

"They've been a bit unlucky sometimes in the last moments of games," said the Dutchman, who faced Ipswich in his first game in charge at Anfield in August, winning 2-0.

"The second half of the season is always more difficult than the first half because some teams strengthen themselves during the winter break.

"Many teams work with their manager for half a season and that normally leads to a team becoming better."

Kieran McKenna's Ipswich have had the occasional encouraging result but they were hammered 6-0 by Manchester City on Jan 19.

Slot was asked at his pre-match press conference whether Liverpool fans would expect a similar result at Anfield.

"That is difficult for fans, and my father is a fan as well, and when I call him after the game he can also say it wasn't as exciting as other games of Liverpool when he watched the game against Lille (a 2-1 Champions League win on Jan 21)," he said.