Arne Slot attempted to downplay the drama of Liverpool’s title run-in on Tuesday, when speaking to the media, while soothing the emotions that have surrounded the team over recent days.

A lack of emotion has set Slot apart from Jurgen Klopp since his arrival at Anfield. He provides a calmer approach than his predecessor and that has been a significant factor in Liverpool’s remarkably composed campaign until now.

But last week the emotions showed and, in the eyes of some, the first cracks in this Liverpool title tilt emerged. There was the late equalizer at Everton and the subsequent meltdown from Slot, assistant Sipke Hulshoff and Curtis Jones. The Liverpool boss admitted four days later that the ending at Goodison Park was still on his side’s mind in the second half against Wolverhampton Wanderers, as poor a 45-minute display as the team has managed under Slot.

READ MORE: Liverpool missing 3 players vs Aston Villa as Arne Slot confirms double blow and possible surgery

READ MORE: Arne Slot says Liverpool star might need surgery as injury timeline confirmed

Andy Robertson claimed the players and fans were nervous and Virgil van Dijk acknowledged some ‘anxiety’ was evident at Anfield. But Slot set about trying to ease those concerns after an atypical week during his tenure, and ahead of tough trips to Aston Villa and Manchester City over the next six days. His stance is that the talk of nerves after Sunday’s games were overblown.

“I think it is because we are going to the end of the season and not because of us but because of what people make of it,” Slot said. “We have played more games or away that we led by one goal and in the end it was also tight: I can remember Crystal Palace away it was really tight in the end and Vitor Jaros had to make a big save to secure the win and we didn't even need a big save now to secure the win.

“If this happens at the end of the season people – you guys – are going to talk about nerves. But securing a win in the Premier League, if you are only leading by one goal, is always going to be a lot of defending and hard work and during large parts of the season it is just hard work. In the end part of the season we talk about nerves – not me but a lot of people talk about nerves.”

After Wednesday’s game against Villa, Liverpool’s Premier League campaign will officially enter the final third and the finish line suddenly feels within sight. Invariably, that adds pressure for Liverpool and the plethora of sides who now only have a few months to secure points.

No matter how much Slot looks to reassure the players, the final three months will be more challenging than the six that preceded it. The Liverpool boss also referenced how teams like Everton and Wolves are now much improved since mid-season managerial changes, while fatigue and injuries are factors for Liverpool to contend with.

“I see it as 13 games to be played and the next one to be the most important, starting with Villa away which is, like Wolves at home, again a difficult game for everyone,” was Slot’s verdict.

In such high-pressure periods, managers will often reference the experience levels of their squad, something the group at Liverpool is inundated with. However, Slot seemed to downplay the importance of that on Tuesday.

“The more experience you have of playing big games the better it is but some players maybe don't have experience of playing big games but they make the right decisions because of quality. We must not overvalue experience but it does help in certain situations.”

Intriguingly, Slot also claimed that Liverpool can’t draw much from the memories of winning the title five years ago, stating it’s almost irrelevant given the unique circumstances that surrounded that particular season.

“I think it helps you if a team or a player already won something but don't make that too big because you still have to play for it and you can't compare the circumstances so the ones that won the league here already that was in Corona time with fans not being in the stadium and at a certain point they were 25 points up so you can hardly talk about pressure then.”

He made a similar claim about his title victory in the Netherlands. "It is difficult to take things from that period of time to this period of time: different players, different opponents, different league. But it tells you in the end phase of a season a lot of games are really tight; not only ours if I just look at all the results."

Slot is effectively saying this is uncharted territory for both him and Liverpool. Never before has he won a title against such high-quality opponents, and never before has the club been involved in a Premier League title race and managed to fend off competition from the chasing pack. That will have to change if the Reds are to win a record-equalling 20th top-flight title as Arsenal’s pursuit shows no signs of abating despite the catalogue of injuries Mikel Arteta is dealing with.

Liverpool has the chance to stretch its advantage to 10 points on Wednesday, but failure to do so will undoubtedly ramp up the nerves and pressure ahead of a trip to Manchester City this weekend. It makes the trip to Villa even more crucial as the title race approaches a potentially critical juncture.