Pre-season tourLucas Leiva interview: 'I would have loved to work with Arne Slot'
Lucas Leiva would love to have played for Arne Slot and believes there should be no limit on Liverpool’s ambitions for the new season.
Slot, of course, led the Reds to the Premier League title in his first campaign in charge and has added the likes of Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz to his squad this summer.
Former midfielder Lucas therefore sees no reason why the club cannot challenge for trophies across the board in 2025-26.
“Anything,” Lucas replied, when asked by Liverpoolfc.com what the team can achieve in the new season.
“I see the club and the team in a really good moment. We have a really good, strong team that can win every title.
“We can, if we will we don’t know, but we showed that we are capable and I think the additions we have made will give depth to the squad to play and compete for all the competitions.
“I think the way Arne plays, he’s able to adapt, which I think is really important. During the game you can see that he is able to adapt to a different way of playing but they have a culture and an identity, I think, as well.
“So, he is a manager who, for sure, I would have loved to work with.”
Lucas – who was speaking on Liverpool’s pre-season tour, which he is part of as an ex-player – does not expect there to be significant changes to the way the Reds play, despite the arrivals of several new signings.
The former Brazil international added: “I don’t think we’ll see a different Liverpool. I think we hope that the new players can add something extra and bring some things we don’t already have in the squad.
“But of course, the second season and coming back after winning the title, the confidence is really high but again, Arne, I don’t know him really well but I could see – especially last year when Liverpool didn’t sign as many players as people wanted – that we still managed to win.
“He has done a fantastic job. It doesn’t mean that because new players are here we will play different or win every game. It’s still difficult but the culture is there, the identity is there.
“But of course adding something extra is always important because that’s how you keep improving the team.
“Last season was incredible. It wasn’t expected [to win the Premier League] but it just shows how strong the team is and we just hope it continues like that. Of course, the expectation for the second season is even higher because we just won the league and we have had some new players coming in.
“But yes, I think the base is really strong, the core of the team is there, so it’s just a matter of helping these new players to settle in as quickly as they can.”
Lucas played 346 times during his decade-long Anfield career, with the majority of those appearances coming at the base of the midfield.
Ryan Gravenberch established himself in that position last season and interprets it differently to Lucas, who had the profile of a more traditional ‘number six’.
Lucas admires how the Netherlands international adapted to a new role and provided his analysis of how Slot’s midfield functions as a unit.
He said: “I think they have specific roles but also freedom to move, that’s what I would say. The exchange of positions but still protecting the midfield is really important and Ryan was a fantastic surprise.
“Maybe nobody expected him to succeed so much in the role but he did and in a different way. Not as a typical number six but with the way he can turn without touching the ball, the way he can drive forward the team with [Alexis] Mac Allister keeping the possession, trying to speed up the game when it needs it and break the rhythm a little bit when it’s needed as well.
“So, it’s a good combination and with [Dominik] Szoboszlai playing further forward, Curtis [Jones] growing a lot – I think today he could count as a starter. So, I think it’s the way that Arne works, to give freedom to express their qualities.”