Slot frustrated after dropping points in Liverpool 2-2 Man Utd

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Slot frustrated after dropping points in Liverpool 2-2 Man Utd  05/01/2025  Anfield, Liverpool, UK

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00:00How do you reflect on that?

00:16Of course it feels for us as two points dropped.

00:22I think many people, what stays in their head for the most long time is what happens in

00:28the end.

00:29That was a big chance for McGuire, of course, but what we tend to forget is that two minutes

00:34before Virgil had maybe just such a big chance as he had to make the free-two for us.

00:41In the end it was a difficult game, a bit similar to the Nottingham Forest game where

00:48the playing style of both teams were quite similar.

00:51So defending in a low block with a lot of bodies and if they had the ball, not the risk

00:55of build-up, but play it long, every free-kick they got somewhere in and around their own

01:01half or our half they brought it in.

01:04So that was a bit similar to Forest.

01:07That is not always easy then to play against that style of football and that's what showed

01:13against Forest and it showed against today as well.

01:15Especially if they have such good quality players that can defend so well, then it's

01:22not so easy to play through that low block that they had.

01:37It's not so easy to take control if the other team plays every ball into your last line.

01:44Then the ball is constantly in the air, there's constantly duels.

01:51That is, I think, what makes it difficult.

01:54We couldn't control it completely because every time we had control and we had a shot

01:58on target, Onana put the ball on the ground and hit it long towards our half and then

02:02the ball is open.

02:04It's not so difficult to take control against that playing style.

02:08But of course we had to do much better in the two goals we conceded, but that's what

02:12every manager says.

02:13That's probably what Amodin would tell you, that they had to do better in the two goals

02:17we scored.

02:18So, yeah, taking control against a team that plays almost every ball into your last line

02:26is not as easy as another playing style.

02:32Arnie, it's been a lot of focus on Trent this week, obviously, about his future.

02:37Clearly today he was a difficult game for him, a difficult afternoon for him.

02:41Do you think that, for everything that's happened this week,

02:44when we talk about it affecting his performance today,

02:47does it naturally have that sort of effect on the player?

02:52Yeah, I don't believe in those things, but I think nine out of ten people will tell you

02:57that it affected him.

02:58But I'm one of the ten that tells you that I don't think that affected him.

03:01What affected him is that he had to play Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalo,

03:05which are two starters for Portugal, great, great players.

03:09We have a fantastic player here with Diogo Jota,

03:11and he's not even playing for Portugal, so mostly he's not playing.

03:15So that tells you how much quality United has.

03:17And if these players set themselves to a game,

03:20and that is what United once in a while does,

03:23then it's very difficult to play against them.

03:26I think that is more difficult for Trent to play against Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalo

03:30than it is the rumours that were there during the week.

03:36But, yeah, that's my opinion and probably everybody is going to tell you

03:39that it had to do with the rumours, but my opinion is different.

03:44The fact that he had to play both players,

03:48why was he left in that situation?

03:53It wasn't that he had to play them on his own against those two,

03:57because Ryan was nine out of ten times close to that situation,

04:00but he was many times faced in a one-v-one situation against those players.

04:04Now, I always tell you how difficult it is for the other team

04:07to be in a one-v-one situation against Mo Salah or Cody Kakpo,

04:10Lucio Diaz or all the other ones we have.

04:13These players also have special qualities,

04:16and I think the best way you could see this was the last 10 to 15 minutes,

04:19in the first 70 to 80, they almost played every ball long.

04:23But after the 2-2, the game was completely open,

04:26and then you could see even better how much quality they have

04:30if they tried to play the ball over the ground.

04:33But it was clear that Trent had some difficult moments, as we as a team had,

04:38but that is also for Trent not the first time.

04:41I think for the majority of the games he played for this club,

04:44they were very, very good,

04:46but I can't believe if people tell me he's never played a bad game for this club.

04:51That probably has happened before,

04:53and mostly against quality players like United have,

04:57especially in the positions he had to face.

05:03What caused him to be in Canarsie?

05:09What caused me to...?

05:16Because he was fit?

05:20Yeah, if we wouldn't have started him, then he doesn't train with us,

05:24so the moment he starts to train with the team, he's fit again.

05:28And it's not to say he can immediately play two games a week,

05:32but he can definitely play 90 minutes, like he showed today.

05:36And like you saw, except for the first game,

05:40when I chose Kwanzaa and all the other games,

05:43when Eboo was fit, he started.

05:45So that's the answer, I think, to your question,

05:48that the moment he's fit he can start.

05:50But if you've been out for such a long time,

05:52it's difficult to immediately play him two games a week,

05:55so it must not come as a surprise if he doesn't play on Wednesday.

06:01He played today for 90 minutes and I think he showed in that 90 minutes

06:05that he was ready to play.

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