Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has admitted that he has tried to influence referees in games this season, adding that his attempts have not worked.
The former Feyenoord coach talked of wanting to create a siege mentality at Anfield in order to make officials give his team more favourable calls.
“You try to influence as much as you can,” Slot said in a news conference on Tuesday. “The mistake I have made two times already here, and one or two times in Holland, is sometimes you think that creating an atmosphere that the whole world is against you can lead to some positive decisions at the end of the game.
“But here, until now, in the Chelsea game and the Fulham game for the whole 90 minutes it stayed the same. It wasn’t like after I tried to influence things a bit, the referee all of a sudden gave us one or two free kicks.
“No, he just kept the whole game the same. I know that it doesn’t work, but sometimes you think: ‘Can I influence that a bit?’ But it didn’t help at all.”
Slot took over from Jürgen Klopp at Anfield in the summer and is to serve a touchline ban during Liverpool’s clash with Southampton on Wednesday in the Carabao Cup after accruing three bookings so far this season.
The Dutch coach said the disciplinary record is at odds with his normal manner, though added he can get emotional during games.
“You always reflect but I think, in general, I am calm,” he said. “I don’t know if it is smart to say this, but there is also a limit for me — let’s put it that way. And then I can get emotional and, unfortunately, that limit is only reached by refereeing decisions or the decisions my players make.”
Sipke Hulshoff, Slot’s first assistant, is set to lead the coaching staff on the sideline for the game with Southampton, who will be looking to rebound after losing 5-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday and firing their head coach Russell Martin.