RUBEN AMORIM could not care less about Liverpool boss Arne Slot’s attacks on Manchester United’s style.
Slot had another pop before tonight’s visit to Brentford, with his team set to face a familiar long-ball barrage.
He said: “When we had a few days off, I looked at how many long balls we already had to defend — 178 in seven games.
“When United came, we had to defend 59 long balls. We have to adjust.”
It was Slot’s second jibe at Amorim since Sunday’s 2-1 defeat by the Red Devils at Anfield, which saw the visitors performing a lot o long balls mainly via goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
Speaking after the game, the Dutchman said: “It is always difficult to play against a team that defends in a low block and mainly plays long ball.”
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But Amorim, whose Red Devils face Brighton today, hit back: “I don’t care what Slot is saying.
“Sometimes you need to adapt to the game.
“I am really pleased that the team can play different games. So I don’t need anyone to evaluate my team. I can evaluate my team.
“It was an important win but I was the first one to say we need to play better with the ball.
“Liverpool is in the past — it is not important.
“And I am really clear that we should play better with the ball and we are going to try to do that against Brighton.
“We are going to try to perform and put everything on the field — that is the most important thing.
“Let’s take it naturally. We have won two games, it is no big deal, it should have come sooner.”
Meanwhile, Eddie Howe refused to rise to Slot’s dig that Newcastle are a “smaller club”.
And he defended Toon’s care of elite players amid suggestions their treatment of Alexander Isak was behind the Swede’s dire Liverpool start.
Slot took a swipe at the Magpies after his £130million signing, who refused to play in pre-season and trained alone until he got his exit from Newcastle, suffered a groin injury in his latest Reds blank against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Following the 5-1 win, Slot said: “You cannot compare a player who hasn’t trained or played in pre-season at a smaller club.”
Asked about Slot’s comments yesterday, Howe said: “Alex is no longer at this club, so I won’t comment.”
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