It didn’t take long for Arne Slot to figure out why Wembley Stadium has been dubbed ‘Anfield South’ by Liverpool fans on occasion.
Slot, when told of the term, let out a laugh normally reserved for his predecessor in the corridors of the club’s AXA Training Centre on Wednesday morning. He quickly understood why many fans still refer to the national stadium as a home away from home.
“Ah! Anfield south! It’s because the club has been there so frequently? Slot laughed as he finished the final portion of his media duties for Thursday night’s game against Tottenham. The Dutchman now has the opportunity to play at a “iconic” arena, barely months into his career on Merseyside. Reported On Liverpool echo.
It’s something of a rite of passage for a Liverpool manager to lead his teams out at Wembley Stadium, and only three managers have failed to do so since Bill Shankly’s tenure, with two of them being able to justify it with a compelling reason.
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Between 2001 and 2006, when Wembley was being rebuilt into its modern guise, Gerard Houllier and then Rafa Benitez took charge of cup finals at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, leaving only Roy Hodgson’s ill-fated stint in 2010 as the only time a coach did not accompany a Liverpool team to the London venue. Brendan Rodgers oversaw an FA Cup semi-final defeat to Aston Villa there ten years ago.
“It cannot be underestimated,” Slot says as a motivating factor on the eve of his team’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham, where they are trailing 1-0. “Some of these players may be familiar with Wembley Stadium, but this will be my first visit.
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