Slot frustrated as Liverpool slip to third defeat on the bounce at Chelsea

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Slot frustrated as Liverpool slip to third defeat on the bounce at Chelsea  04/10/2025  Stamford Bridge, London, UK

Transcript

00:00Another disappointing loss, that's clear, another game similar to the Palace game, although

00:24the game was completely different because the playing style of both teams are completely

00:27different but not similar to the Palace game where in the first half I think we played

00:34not our best football but still were able to create three big chances.

00:38They've only had one and they've immediately scored it, which was completely different to

00:43the Palace game where Palace created a lot of chances in the first half.

00:47The second half performance like in Palace I liked, we've created more than enough chances

00:53to score more than one goal last week and today and when we did, I think there was a period

00:59of the game where I felt now we're going to win it.

01:02We came a lot of times very close with chances but also with moments where we had a four versus

01:08three in our favour, not outplaying it well enough in the last pass but in the last ten

01:16minutes it was an end-to-end game, both teams could have won it and we did it and Chelsea did.

01:25Any complaints on the penalties?

01:28Penalties.

01:29The penalty appeals, I think there was the one in the first half and in the second half,

01:36your bench and you were protesting for a friend?

01:42I think you mean in the second half when Alex tried to go for the ball and he felt an arm in his hat.

01:51Unfortunately we don't play Champions League because this week in the Champions League there was a penalty.

01:56But we play Premier League and there are different standards so we can't complain about that.

02:00I haven't seen it back by the way but if the ref in the VR says it's allowed then it's allowed.

02:07But yeah, you always feel a bit frustrated, maybe that's the right word,

02:13if you've conceded a penalty like this during the week.

02:15But that's not fair because that's two different competitions.

02:19Hi Anna, is it fair to say you're still searching for balance?

02:25It seems to be like you're creating chances but there's maybe gaps in midfield and Chelsea can play through you at times.

02:31Is there still maybe gaps that are emerging because the players don't have connections or the new ones?

02:35Yeah, but I think if you play the style we play, so a high press and the style, Chelsea plays a high press,

02:42it would be a complete surprise if both teams, with the quality that both teams have,

02:47that they never play through your press.

02:49So that would be unrealistic.

02:51So you go here to Stamford Bridge with them having eight injuries,

02:56so you're like, hmmm, this can be positive, then probably they don't have the options from the bench,

03:01but they did still have a few good options from the bench to impact the game.

03:06So it would be unrealistic to expect that if you play Chelsea that they want to play out from the back,

03:12that they never play through your press, as we played through their press as well.

03:18Do you think that Alexander Isak and Mo Salah are building a connection,

03:22that the front three maybe didn't always connect at times, especially in the first half?

03:26The more they play together, the more they will connect,

03:29but in the first half what we had to do better,

03:34I think that's what you saw in the second half already a little bit from the start,

03:38but especially after I had to take Konateov because he felt his squad.

03:43When Ryan started to play in that position,

03:46we were able to get our attackers much more in promising situations,

03:50much more than the first half.

03:52So for me it wasn't the disconnection or the time we need for the forwards to do better.

03:59I think the first half was mainly that we had to do better in build-up,

04:02and that's what we did more and more in the second half,

04:06and that's why we created also so many good moments, chances,

04:10and moments that we could have created much more.

04:14Arna, obviously when you lose there will be much more focus on all the changes in the summer,

04:19the new attackers, but how close do you have this team to what you wanted,

04:23to your ideal image of it?

04:26I think you're never close to your ideal, you have to work really hard to reach a certain level,

04:36and then it's very hard in football because you also play against very good teams,

04:41to keep that level going, and what I mean by that is consistency.

04:46But it's clear that we had our changes in the summer,

04:50players came in in different moments,

04:54last week there's hardly been any training time,

04:57and still we need to try to bring these players in,

05:01and if the result would have been better today with a draw or a win,

05:08which was both possible, I don't say we deserved it,

05:11a draw we definitely deserved,

05:13but then we would have had a great start to the season,

05:16if you take into account everything that happened in the summer in Liverpool.

05:21Can you tell us what happened to Konaté,

05:26and is it a big injury?

05:29I don't know if it's a big injury,

05:32but what I do know is that he limped,

05:34is that the right English word, a little bit,

05:36and when I asked him, he said,

05:38I feel my quad a little bit, I said okay,

05:40but then for me all alarm bells go off,

05:42because in another sprint,

05:44then you never know if that's going to go good.

05:49Is that the way to say it?

05:51So it was already also a substitution that I had in mind,

05:54maybe for a few minutes later or a little bit later,

05:57because the right centre-back had a lot of ball possession,

06:03and we needed to create from that position,

06:05and we all know that Ryan is quite good in that.

06:08So yeah, it might be okay that he went off early enough,

06:14but it was clear that I had to take him off because he was limping.

06:19One here, then the last one here.

06:22Hi, Arne.

06:23Talking about your defence,

06:24Konat and Mandijk obviously have been playing very much in these games,

06:29Konat has been injured now.

06:31How do you think you can rotate more centre-backs?

06:35How you can do this?

06:37It's not so easy to put someone else in.

06:39That's the way to rotate,

06:41but if I rotate against Konat has been high,

06:43people complain that I rotate.

06:45So yeah, it is a risk of playing.

06:53We were just talking about Konat,

06:55he's playing three games now in seven or eight days

06:57with a four-and-a-half-hour flight up and down.

07:01So yeah, that's true,

07:03but that is the balance you need to find.

07:07Playing a tough game against Palace that play only long balls

07:11and every corner kick is dangerous.

07:16So you need long and strong defenders,

07:18and I think if you play Chelsea away,

07:20you also need two centre-backs.

07:23But when we were nil down,

07:24I took the risk, if you want to call it like this,

07:27to play with a midfielder or as a centre-back.

07:30I know you mentioned in midweek about resting Mo Salah

07:34and the minutes he's had,

07:36but today he seemed to snatch a couple of chances.

07:38Do you think the team are kind of missing

07:40that clinical cutting edge from him at this point?

07:45Yeah, that's interesting.

07:47So did he create today so much because he didn't play during the week

07:51or did he miss the chances because he missed a bit of sharpness

07:54that he could have had if he would have played against Palace?

07:56We will never know.

07:57What I like is that we brought him many times

08:00in the position he would like to be in,

08:02and I would like him to be in because he's shown in his career

08:07and since I'm here that in those positions he can score goals.

08:10I think today he had many opportunities to do what he's done so often,

08:17but yeah, he's a human being and it's not like every chance he gets

08:22is always a goal.

08:24We feel sometimes it is because of what he's done last season

08:27and so many times, but he can also have a game where he has chances

08:35and a lot of times in promising positions and don't have a goal on an assist.

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