Bournemouth such an intense team, tough opener - Slot - video Dailymotion

Liverpool boss Arne Slot on the challenges posted by Bournemouth ahead of their Premier League opener on Friday AXA Training centre, Liverpool, UK

Transcript

00:00This time last year you had a huge challenge ahead of you,

00:03coming to a new league, starting at a new club, replacing a new club,

00:06everything that went with it.

00:08Is this season in your mind, personally for you,

00:11an even bigger challenge from this time last year?

00:13No, you forgot to mention that you take over a team

00:16and you only have two weeks to prepare,

00:18because there was a Euros and a Copa America.

00:23I think every pre-season has its own challenges,

00:26so last season it was the challenges you were just talking about,

00:29this season, the challenge is that we've lost many starters

00:33and we've brought in very good and talented players again as well.

00:40And the challenge is always, not only yourself,

00:43but also the teams you face now, we're starting with Bournemouth,

00:46which was last season probably the most intense team in the league,

00:49in terms of running and also in the playing style,

00:55but that goes hand in hand.

00:57And then afterwards it's Newcastle and Arsenal,

01:00so that sums up this league, I think.

01:02And the challenge we have.

01:04What do you expect from Bournemouth on Friday?

01:06What I just said, intense.

01:08They made it really difficult for us last season,

01:11we beat them 3-0, where you feel like, what is he talking about,

01:14difficult.

01:15But if you look at the game, they had the first big chance of the game,

01:18they scored a goal which was fractionally offside,

01:21and then we three times, I wouldn't say counterattacked them,

01:25but we were very fast in moving the ball from back to forward,

01:31and all of a sudden at half-time we were 3-0 up,

01:34and then I thought, which I always thought when I was playing manager in Holland,

01:38this is going to be 4-5, 6-0.

01:40But the mentality Bournemouth showed in the second half,

01:43they just kept on going, and that's the mentality they had throughout the whole season,

01:48afterwards as well, so they also lost some players,

01:53they also brought in good new ones, as they've shown in the last few years,

01:58that they can always bring in good new players.

02:01So, anyway, it was even more difficult for us,

02:06so very good team, good manager, and a challenge for us on Friday.