LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Arne Slot insists his team cannot use their “in-transition” status as an excuse for failing to compete for trophies next season.

Liverpool lost the Premier League title to Arsenal, who were confirmed champions this week, while the Reds now only need at least one point against Brentford to confirm a place in next season’s Champions League.

After suffering 20 defeats in all competitions this season, speculation arose about Slot’s ability to continue guiding the club.

However, the Dutch manager stressed that the fans and the club still have the right to have high hopes for the team.

“When I say we are in a transition process, that doesn’t mean don’t expect anything from us next season.

“I personally expect us to be able to compete better than this season.

“This team has proven they are capable of reaching a certain level and we can only continue to improve the quality of this squad,” said Slot.

According to Slot, Liverpool needs to improve their performance in various aspects of the game if they want to return to being a major contender next season.

“We need to be better in many phases of the game.

“Set-piece situations are one of them. We didn’t score enough goals from set-pieces and we also didn’t create enough chances from open play.

“There are still many things that need to be improved,” he said.

He also stressed that several new players could have a big impact on the entire team.

“Sometimes you just need to add one or two players for the whole team to grow and get better.

“That’s normal for a club that is going through a transition process.

“We can’t do everything in one transfer window,” he added.

Slot also reminded that Liverpool’s best squad under Jurgen Klopp also took several years to form before successfully competing for every major trophy.

MANCHESTER: Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville was surprised by referee Michael Salisbury’s decision not to disallow United’s second goal against Nottingham Forest after a VAR review suggested the original decision should have been overturned.

The controversial incident occurred in the 55th minute when Bryan Mbeumo controlled Diogo Dalot’s cross with his right hand before his attempt was blocked and the ball fell to Matheus Cunha to score as United won 3-2 at Old Trafford.

Salisbury asked the VAR, operated by Matthew Donohue, to review the incident on the pitchside monitor, but he upheld the original decision on the grounds that Mbeumo’s handball was accidental.

Neville, who served as a commentator alongside Peter Drury, admitted to being surprised by the decision.

“I think that’s a very bad decision in every respect. It’s ridiculous.

“VAR clearly said the goal should have been disallowed because there was a handball that brought the ball back into play. I couldn’t believe what I saw.

“VAR took three minutes and the referee another minute to review the incident. They over-thought it and it became chaotic,” said Neville.

Salisbury then explained his decision over the stadium microphone.

“After review, the goal decision stood because the handball was unintentional, so the final result was a goal.”

Neville added, however: “We do have to respect referees who have the courage to defend their decisions, but this is not the time.”

United eventually won 3-2 through goals from Luke Shaw, Cunha and Mbeumo, while Forest scored through Morato and Morgan Gibbs-White.

Forest manager Vitor Pereira also disputed the decision and said the team manager no longer understood the true interpretation of the laws of the game.

“For me it was clearly handball, but the referee made a different decision. If this situation had happened when we were still fighting to avoid relegation, it would have been a big problem,” said Pereira.

He also called for a meeting to be held between the manager and the refereeing body to clarify the current interpretation of ‘handball’ and foul play in the penalty box.

In the same match, United captain Bruno Fernandes also equalled the record for most assists in a Premier League season with 20, equalling the achievements of Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.

LONDON: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has urged his players to perform better if they want to avoid controversy involving VAR in matches.

Guardiola believes City have fallen prey to controversial decisions before and is still disappointed with some of the decisions made in the FA Cup final defeats in 2024 and 2025.

VAR once again stole the spotlight after West Ham United were denied a late equaliser against Arsenal last Sunday after a lengthy review.

The 1-0 victory allowed Arsenal to remain five points ahead of City in the race for the Premier League title.

But Guardiola stressed that the players themselves need to ensure that refereeing decisions are no longer a major factor.

“We lost two FA Cup finals because the referees didn’t do their job properly, including VAR.

“When that happens, it means we have to get better ourselves, not blame the referee or VAR,” Guardiola said.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager said he has learned not to rely too much on luck or decisions beyond his control.

“You have to keep getting better because VAR is like a coin toss sometimes.

“When you lose focus, you are in a dangerous situation,” he said.

City lost 2-1 to Manchester United in the FA Cup final two years ago, with Guardiola believing his side should have been awarded two penalties following challenges to Erling Haaland by Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo.

Controversy also arose when City were stunned by Crystal Palace in last season’s final when Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson was not shown a red card despite being found to have cleared the ball outside the penalty area.

However, Guardiola stressed that his team’s focus is now only on the match against Palace early tomorrow morning.

A win would reduce Arsenal’s gap at the top of the league to two points.

BARCELONA, Spain: Hansi Flick admits he will never forget the most emotional day of his life after guiding Barcelona to La Liga glory just hours after his father’s death.

Barcelona confirmed their 29th league title after beating their main rivals, Real Madrid 2-0 in El Clasico at Camp Nou, early this morning.

The German manager said he was very proud of the support shown by the team’s players and staff when going through difficult moments.

“I’m proud. I will never forget this day. Not ever. I’m happy with this victory and the atmosphere in this stadium is extraordinary,” Flick told reporters.

Flick said his mother called him the morning of the match to say his father had died.

“This morning my mother called me and told me my father had passed away. So I thought whether I needed to hide it or talk to the players because to me they are like family.

“I finally decided to tell the players and what they did after that was extraordinary. I will never forget that moment.

“I am very happy and proud of everyone, every player, coaching staff and also this club,” he said.

Flick was celebrated by Barca players after the final whistle when he was thrown into the air during the tournament reception at Camp Nou.

The 61-year-old coach said he had never felt as much affection in a stadium as he received on that day.

He also emphasized that Barcelona still wants to chase the La Liga record of 100 points in the remaining three matches this season as well as targeting the Champions League title next season after last winning it in 2015.

Spanish media previously reported that Flick is expected to extend his contract for another year until 2028.

“I think we are in the right place at the right time. I think we want to continue together and give more to this club.

“I know everyone at Barcelona wants to win the Champions League. We will try again next season and hope to achieve it,” he said.

LONDON: Chelsea recorded their worst record in 33 years after losing 1-3 at home to Nottingham Forest last night.

The defeat saw the London club lose six consecutive league games for the first time since 1993.

In fact, things almost got even more embarrassing when Chelsea almost recorded six consecutive league defeats without a goal for the first time in the club’s 121-year history before Joao Pedro scored with a scissor kick in the 93rd minute.

With their form continuing to decline, the only relief for Chelsea fans at the moment may be the fact that there are only three games left in the season and they are not facing the threat of relegation.

The Blues’ poor performance has also been worse than Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers since mid-March.

Chelsea looked sluggish in every position with a blunt attack, a midfield that failed to dominate the game and a defense that was too fragile when they lost to Vitor Pereira’s Forest.

Chelsea were also dealt a blow when young winger Jesse Derry was rushed to hospital as a precaution after suffering a head injury on his league debut, while goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was also taken off after a head-on collision.

Cole Palmer also failed to convert a penalty when Chelsea were trailing 0-2.

When Taiwo Awoniyi scored Forest’s third goal in the 52nd minute, angry cheers erupted at Stamford Bridge with supporters targeting criticism of the American consortium that owns the club.

Since taking over four years ago, Chelsea’s owners have spent more than £1 billion on new players.

Hopes were rekindled after Chelsea won the Club World Cup last summer and the UEFA Conference League, but that confidence was shattered following a decline in performance since being beaten 2-5 by Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 on March 11.

The decline also caused Liam Rosenior to lose his position just three months after replacing Enzo Maresca.

Despite reaching the FA Cup final against Manchester City on May 16, Chelsea are at risk of finishing the league season in the bottom group.

They are now just five points above Leeds United in 14th place, the club’s worst ever position in the 1993-94 season, before they are scheduled to travel to Liverpool next.

Failure to qualify for any European competition could also have a major impact on the finances of the club, which has just reported the largest annual pre-tax loss in English football of £262.4 million.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher says the connection between Chelsea fans, players and management now seems to have disappeared.

“In one sense, it’s a good thing because it proves that football is not just about money, buying players and endless player exchanges,” he told Sky Sports.

“It’s about team spirit and Chelsea don’t have that at the moment. They look like a broken club.”