Liverpool coach Arne Slott is not “jumping to conclusions” about English clubs in the Champions League

Liverpool manager Arne Slott said it was too early to “jump to conclusions” about why Premier League clubs are struggling in the Champions League this week.

None of the six English clubs managed to win the first leg of their round of 16 tie, with the Reds losing 1-0 to Galatasaray.

Arsenal tied with Bayer Leverkusen 1-1, Newcastle United tied with Barcelona at home with the same score, Chelsea and Tottenham both lost 5-2 to Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid respectively, and Manchester City was at the end of a 3-0 defeat against Real Madrid.

“To jump to a conclusion after one day of play, I think the sample size is too small, and that’s not the smartest thing to do,” Slott said. “Maybe, after next week, we will have a completely different result.

“In general, it is not beneficial for English clubs not to have a winter break. I am not saying that all these teams lost because we do not have a winter break.

“Why [the lack of victories]? Because in the round of 16 in Europe, you’re facing some very good teams. And four of the five [other] Teams played in the Champions League away from home.

“This is usually an advantage to play at home or a disadvantage to play away from home. To jump to conclusions – [whether it is] missing winter vacation, [or that] “The level of the Premier League is not as high as we expected, and that for me at this moment is not the right conclusion to reach.”