Everton boss David Moyes says he has sympathy for his struggling city rival Arne Slot – but insists he is ‘not having’ the Liverpool head coach using refereeing decisions as an excuse.
The Hill Dickinson Stadium will host its first-ever Merseyside Derby on Sunday and Everton go into it full of belief, just five points behind their rivals and with eyes on European football.
Slot’s English champions, meanwhile, have won just three of their last 10 fixtures and are one loss away from levelling their most-ever defeats in a season.
Asked if he feels sympathy for Slot given some Reds fans do not back him to turn things around, Moyes said: ‘Absolutely. He has done a brilliant job. And I have got to say he is a really good coach – that is from a neutral point of view.
‘But I’m not sure I’m having him saying they are getting bad decisions at Anfield because if you ask any Premier League manager over football history, they will tell you that if there is one club that gets all the decisions, it is Liverpool Football Club.
‘So if they are finding a few bad things at the moment, well, we have had to put up with them for years, every time we go there. But as a coach, I think he’s a top coach.
David Moyes (above) has defended his Merseyside rival Arne Slot as pressure mounts on him
The Everton boss has told Slot to stop moaning about Liverpool getting bad referee decisions
‘I actually think Liverpool supporters would agree with that if they were honest as well! There are very few decisions that go against Liverpool at Anfield. Very few.’
Quizzed further on how managers can go from hero to zero, the experienced Moyes said: ‘I’m getting a bit older. I have had all that. I’ve been there and done it. You know, I could start next season with six defeats and you will be saying I’m rubbish!
‘There is very little balance and realism in the job in some ways. Arne Slot won the Premier League last year. He’s probably got to make a few changes and take a bit of time if the players don’t settle in straight away. It’s a bit like us.
‘What does the next level look like for Everton next year? If you are saying “you should be in the top four or five!” then I would be saying “hold on, wait a minute! You’re wrong.” It’s very difficult.
‘Some managers are doing amazing jobs. But there is no way we have a Premier League without someone losing. It’s going to be someone in focus every year.’
Meanwhile, Slot has doubled down in his belief that Liverpool have a bright future and is confident next season will not be a repeat of this year.
He said: ‘Just compare us with the start of the season and where we are now, compare the players we have signed with the start of the season and where we are now. I see a difference, in a positive way.’
He added: ‘All these things now – will there ever be another season where we concede so many goals in extra time? I don’t think that is even possible, so that would even add six, seven or eight points to our total. Will we ever have a season with so many injuries again?
‘You can’t rule it out but it is not realistic to have so much bad luck. And I can factor in even more things this season.
‘The main thing is how we were able to compete against Paris Saint-Germain after only having two days off, with them being rested for a week, how we have been able to compete against the other quarter-finalists here at home.
The Reds head to the Hill Dickinson Stadium days after crashing out of the Champions League
‘Then you see that with doing the right things in the summer and not being as unlucky as we were this season. Then we can even have a better season.
‘And the reality is that we went out in the FA Cup and the Champions League against in my opinion the two best teams in open play at the moment with two incredible managers (Manchester City and PSG) so that is also the reality that we have been unlucky with the draws.’
