Arne Slot hits out at Michael Owen’s ‘strange’ comment as Liverpool boss wades into row after Virgil van Dijk was left ‘frustrated’ by former Anfield striker

Arne Slot has rubbished suggestions that Liverpool winning ‘only’ the Premier League title will be anything short of spectacular this season – and said the English top flight is ‘better than it ever was’.

The Reds head coach was talking after former striker Michael Owen said finishing the season with just one trophy would leave a ‘bitter taste’ in an interview with Virgil van Dijk – which the Liverpool captain swiftly dismissed.

Slot laughed at this idea and said: ‘Let me understand it right, Virgil was a bit frustrated because it came across as it’s not enough to ‘only’ win the Premier League? Michael (Owen) played for us, didn’t he? So he is aware of the fact that in 35 years we won the league once?

‘There is your answer. If you can win the league with this club then, phew, nothing else matters. If you do it 10 times in a row then I could understand that people say, ‘Oh but you only win the Premier League’.

‘At this club, you can compete for it and let alone win it, then it is a strange question to ask in my opinion. If Virgil has this opinion as well then I agree with him. I follow the Dutch media a bit more than the media here and… no, let’s leave it!

‘I think the league is better than it ever was, the strength overall is getting better. I think even Pep (Guardiola) said there will not be a team again as long as he lives that gets more than 100 points and wins the league four times in a row.

Michael Owen said finishing the season with just one trophy would leave a ‘bitter taste’

‘So many more teams have so many more good players. All clubs, even some who are fighting against relegation, have some players who can play for City, for Arsenal, for us, for Chelsea and these types of teams.

‘The reason why teams you might expect to have more points don’t have them is because the league has become stronger. That is probably why it is such a compliment for us that we do have those points at the moment.’

Slot added that because of this, Liverpool’s sole league defeat to Nottingham Forest in September does not look quite as bad as he thought it was at the time.

The Anfield boss also said that his team’s defeat to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final might be a good thing when they look back in hindsight – as it has awoken his team again for the final stretch of the league season.

‘Sometimes it is good when you lose a game of football,’ he said. ‘Especially if you lose it in a manner which doesn’t fit our standards. That keeps them awake I think. The way we lost against Newcastle is not the way we want to lose a game of football.’

Liverpool travel to Fulham on Sunday knowing they need four wins from eight remaining games to guarantee the Premier League title. Trent Alexander-Arnold is still unfit but goalkeeper Alisson should return after concussion, with Conor Bradley also pushing to return to the squad.

Meanwhile, Andy Robertson has insisted his good friend Alexander-Arnold is not fazed by speculation over his future and solely focusing on returning to fitness and winning the league title.

‘Trent’s head is not great because he’s injured,’ said the Scotland captain. ‘He hates being injured, none of us like being injured but it hurts Trent a little bit more. That’s all he is focused on.

Owen (left) made the comment when interviewing Van Dijk after the Merseyside derby 

But Van Dijk hit back at these claims and insisted that ‘we have to change the narrative’

‘It is impossible for me to say we have not seen all the noise and everyone commenting on it. But for us our focus is for him to get back fit and healthy. Once he does that, what will happen, will happen.

‘No one knows that yet. People can talk and speculate but for us we want Trent back very soon.’

Asked if he is getting excited over the potential of lifting a Premier League trophy, Robertson added: ‘Come on (laughing)! No one here is allowing us to believe or think like that. We HAVE to focus on the next game. I can guarantee there are 60,000 fans thinking like that.

‘That is right for them to do. They can get carried away, we are allowing them to get carried away and we take great pleasure in that. But we have to stay focused. We are the players, we have a job to do.

‘Keep pushing and keep winning games to get us over the line. If the time comes we will be sure to enjoy it, but we are not thinking that far ahead.’