Gary Neville issues Liverpool prediction and gives instruction to Arne Slot

Gary Neville has made his feelings clear on how Liverpool will finish the season, and explained what Arne Slot must do to galvanise the dressing room

Gary Neville has tipped Liverpool to secure Champions League football, but insists Arne Slot needs to rally his players following their setback. The Anfield club’s top-four ambitions were handed a blow after they were beaten 2-1 by Manchester City on Sunday in the Premier League.

Despite Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning free-kick putting them ahead, late strikes from Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva handed Slot’s side a defeat in the Premier League clash.

The result left Liverpool languishing in sixth spot in the table heading into a busy midweek schedule, with a trip to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland on Wednesday next on the agenda.

Depending on Tuesday’s results, the Reds could slip further adrift in the race for Champions League qualification, but they’ll be eager to bounce back with three points against the Black Cats.

READ MORE: Arne Slot handed clear Liverpool sack ultimatum as FSG feelings emergeREAD MORE: Liverpool star Mo Salah green-lights lucrative Saudi transfer as exit talks ‘underway’

Neville outlined what Liverpool need to do to turn their fortunes around, beginning with victory at Sunderland this week. The former Manchester United defender also backed the reigning Premier League champions to clinch a top-four spot by the end of the campaign.

FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FB PAGE! Latest Reds news and more on our dedicated Facebook page

“That [Man City defeat] will be a tough take for Slot and his players,” Neville said on his podcast for Sky Sports. “However, if they can somehow compartmentalise it to a bit of a freak game, which it was, they will still be fine.

“If they can put it in a box and not let it infect in here (points to his head), it is whether they are strong enough right now mentally to be able to cope with games every three days when challenging fixtures don’t go their way.

“They are five points behind the top four or five. It’s not a big gap; there is a long way to go and they will have to play most of the teams above them, so they have loads of opportunities.

“But there is a question mark over Liverpool. There is a question mark over whether they will finish in the Champions League places, but I still think they will.”

Neville added: “They have got a lot of experience with Alisson, [Alexis] Mac Allister, [Virgil] Van Dijk, [Mohamed] Salah, [Ryan] Gravenberch. They have players who know what to do, so can they hold it together and keep on going?

“If you want to show that you’re not going to be impacted by today, go and win at Sunderland which will be a tough place to go. Go and win there emphatically and be professional.

“That’s where everyone needs to look now for Liverpool. It will be tough in there. The dressing room will be really low.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us – and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.