Liverpool manager Arne Slot has taken a swipe at Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, insisting that “excuses are for teams that don’t win” following Arteta’s claim that red cards and injuries were key reasons Arsenal fell short in this season’s Premier League title race.
Liverpool secured the title with four games to spare, comfortably outpacing the Gunners. However, Arteta recently suggested in an interview with Sky Sports that setbacks such as injuries and suspensions had derailed his team’s campaign.
Slot, speaking to BBC Sport, pushed back on that notion.
“All these excuses—you could apply them to Liverpool too: maybe we didn’t spend, didn’t bring in many new players, or I was taking over from someone like Jürgen Klopp,” he said. “But those are excuses for teams that don’t win the league. It’s better when you don’t have to use them—and still win it.”
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While Slot acknowledged Arteta’s point about success sometimes depending on timing and circumstance, he firmly rejected the idea that luck plays a decisive role in a league campaign.
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Arteta said sometimes you need to be in the right place at the right time, and I agree—that applies to cup competitions like the Champions League or World Cup. But not the Premier League,” Slot explained. “Over a full season, the best team wins. You can reach a final with good luck, but you don’t win a league with just luck.”
Slot’s comments add fuel to the ongoing debate over what separates champions from contenders—and underline Liverpool’s belief that their title win was earned, not handed.