Liverpool, Dec 17 Following a 5-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Southampton sacked their manager Russell Martin, with the side currently bottom of the Premier League table. Liverpool head coach Arne Slot labelled the sacking of Martin as a pity ahead of his side’s Carabao Cup quarterfinal against the Saints at St Mary’s Stadium on Thursday (IST).
"In my opinion it is a pity. These things happen. Russell Martin has done so well last season for Southampton. This season again his side played good football. We experienced this when we had such a tough day over there. We only beat them 3-2.
"So you always feel sorry if managers don't get the chance to continue. Especially in these two situations, because for me they were managers who had a good idea of how they wanted to play with their team. Unfortunately, they weren't able to get enough points - then managers get sacked,” said Slot in a press conference.
The 38-year-old took charge of Southampton in July 2023, helping them earn promotion through the playoffs to the Premier League in his first season at the helm. However, since returning to the top flight, Southampton have earned just one win, beating Everton 1-0 in November. Martin is the fourth Premier League manager to leave his role this season, after Erik ten Hag, Steve Cooper and Gary O'Neil.
Slot, who was shown a yellow card in the game against Fulham on Sunday, will be serving a touchline suspension for the quarterfinal matchup, as it was his third yellow of the season. The Dutch head coach was asked if his absence would cause any impact on the team.
"Not as much as I thought it would impact me because if you are suspended in Holland, then you are not allowed to be in and around the dressing room. You cannot do the media as well. This is a lighter version of suspension.
"I would say that I have never been used to being suspended. This is the first time I am. I think I am still able to do the things I want to do. The least impact you can have on your team is during the 45 minutes. The most impact you can have is at half-time or before the game and those are the things I can do,” added Slot.
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