- 2 days ago
Slot looking for reaction at Everton as Isak nears fitness and on devastating Ekitike injury
17/04/2026
AXA training centre, Liverpool, UK
17/04/2026
AXA training centre, Liverpool, UK
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00:00Arn, first of all, can you tell us the latest on your Eketike,
00:05has he been operated on yet? Just tell us how do you feel about such a disability?
00:09No, he hasn't been operated yet. Devastating for him.
00:18Coming to a new club, having so much impact straight away.
00:23Playing against your former club in the quarter-finals of the Champions League,
00:27we have so much more to come for him in the summer.
00:31Your first thoughts are always with him, being out for such a long time,
00:36missing out on so many special moments.
00:39But he's not the first and will not be the last player that experienced something like this
00:46in the start of his career, and there are so many examples of players that came back even stronger.
00:53That's the challenge he has now, and I'm 100% sure he will be one of those
00:58that in 10-15 years' time say maybe this injury even helped me to become stronger
01:02and become even more ready to perform even at a higher level than I did before.
01:08After PSG we spoke briefly about the potential in his squad, how far it can go.
01:13How much work do you feel needs to be done by yourself, by Richard Hughes in the summer
01:17to make it even more competitive?
01:19How big a chain of players do you think you're facing,
01:22taking into account the fact that you're already losing Mo and Andy Roberts?
01:25No, I think for the people who watch the Paris Saint-Germain game,
01:31it depends on which game you're watching,
01:34but if you're watching the home game I think it's fair to say for me
01:38that the future does look bright and that we were able to have more ball possession than them,
01:44to generate 21 shots, to have a high XG against a team
01:49that is used to the fact that they dominate ball possession.
01:55Even if you take into account that Hugo had to go off after 30 minutes,
02:03something like that, Alex had to go off at half-time,
02:05so if you would see them playing over 90 minutes, being in their best shape,
02:12then this team is already shown, as they did in so many other moments,
02:16that they can compete with the best in Europe,
02:18so we've beaten here at home the other three other quarter-finalists,
02:23with Atletico, Real Madrid and Arsenal.
02:27So that tells you that this is already a very strong team,
02:31but it takes some changes because of what you just said,
02:35with Robbo and Mo leaving, but as I've said many times,
02:42the future looks bright for us.
02:44Are you thinking that you need four, five, six?
02:47I don't think in numbers.
02:49I don't think in numbers.
02:52Just in areas?
02:54In areas in which players we already know that are going to leave,
02:59and let's see what happens in the summer.
03:01You know we are a trading club,
03:03so let's first see what's actually going to happen in the summer,
03:07and then we also know better what we need to bring in.
03:10Last season you had to deal with the last Merseyside derby at Coulson Park,
03:13this is the first Merseyside derby at the new stadium,
03:16so do you see a similarity in their motivation and your motivation?
03:20No more slip-ups having really strengthened your position last week
03:23in terms of qualifying for next season?
03:28I think it's always a very special game,
03:32it doesn't matter if it's the 60th game being played in the stadium,
03:36but if it's the last one being played in the stadium and the first one,
03:39that always makes it probably even more special if that's even possible.
03:45And of course they are in a very good place at the moment,
03:49so it's always special but maybe you can add 1-2 per cent to it
03:53because it's now the first and last season, it was the last,
03:55but it will always be a very special game for them,
03:59but definitely also for us.
04:01Your motivation? No more slip-ups?
04:05Last week you had really strengthened your position in terms of the top five now.
04:09Yeah, but that's what I said I think already five, six, seven weeks ago,
04:15that that is always the aim.
04:17We didn't want to lose against City away,
04:19we didn't want to lose against Paris Saint-Germain,
04:23and I think that is always the aim if you go into games,
04:30you never want slip-ups,
04:31so you want to perform in the best possible way possible.
04:34Best possible way possible, there's a bit of a lot of possible.
04:41Is this exactly the right kind of game for you?
04:43Given that someone has sold mid-week to then come into a Merseyside derby,
04:47is it an opportunity for your players to really show some character and come out fighting?
04:51Yeah, but they've showed a lot of character against Paris Saint-Germain as well,
04:58because being the better team against Paris Saint-Germain is very, very, very complicated,
05:02let alone if you have to play three games in seven days and you face an opponent that only had
05:08to play two.
05:08So they were very well rested and if I saw that a lot of my players broke records in terms
05:14of physical output,
05:17that tells you how strong they are and how ready they are,
05:24and that will not be no different for the game on Sunday.
05:28In terms of it being a new ground,
05:30Gleeson Park always had a very special atmosphere when it came to Derby's really effective players,
05:35occasionally effective managers sometimes as well,
05:37but going in with a bigger crowd and it being new,
05:41have you got different expectations?
05:44The crowd didn't affect me last season, the referee decisions affected me last season,
05:49and then your other question was?
05:51Do you have different expectations about how this might be in terms of the atmosphere
05:55and how it might affect the players?
05:58No, I don't know, because last season was my first Merseyside derby in that stadium,
06:03so if we would have played in the same stadium I probably could know what to expect,
06:08but I don't think a stadium is loud, it's usually defence that are loud,
06:12so how much of a difference it will be.
06:15I can tell you after the weekend, but I think their fans will be loud,
06:18as our fans will be loud as well.
06:22So, yeah, I think it's not the stadium on itself that makes the difference,
06:27usually it's always the players that make the difference,
06:30and the fans can have an impact to help the players out, that's for sure.
06:34Hi Alan, we've spoken a lot about Alexander Isak recently,
06:38but given the injury now to TK,
06:41how confident are you that he's ready for the intensity and maybe more responsibility
06:46that might fall his way between now and the end of the season?
06:51First of all, it's at least a good thing that we've signed two No. 9s,
06:54because there were a lot of people who were debating why we signed two No. 9s.
06:58We thought maybe it's a smart idea not to be the only club in the world
07:01that only has one No. 9, so that's why we signed two.
07:05And now all of a sudden that looks maybe quite good.
07:08And maybe, I don't know, people are questioning now if we should sign in the summer
07:12another No. 9, because he was talking about 5, 6, 7 or 8 already.
07:18Yeah, someone said to me the day after,
07:23you cannot write the script that on the day that Alex is back after four months of injury
07:30in his first start on the same day the other one leaves the pitch with a long-term injury.
07:38But it's a good thing that Alex is back now even more, of course,
07:43although it wouldn't be the first game that I have to play without a particular type
07:49in a particular position, so I've had many games this season that I had to play
07:52that I didn't have the right full-back available, for example.
07:59So we would have adjusted to that as well, but it's nice to have Alex back,
08:04although we also know that he's not ready to play 90 yet.
08:09I alluded to it earlier, but just in terms of the games that you've got left now,
08:13six games left, as well as Everton, you've got the likes of Aston Villa,
08:17Manchester United and Chelsea.
08:18Does it almost feel like a bit of a mini-league that you've got now,
08:21with all these teams that you're playing that are in and around you?
08:25Yeah, yeah, of course.
08:28Every team is of course focused on the positions around them,
08:32so if you're at the bottom end of the table you play a mini-league against a team
08:35that could go relegate or could go out of the league.
08:40And of course our focus now is definitely not on Arsenal,
08:43it's on the teams around us when it comes to playing a mini-league,
08:47but our main focus is on the first game at hand, and that's Everton.
09:16I think last summer we made quite a lot of signings,
09:19and that's why we traded so much.
09:22I think in the four windows I'm here now we've had a net span of 150 million, I think.
09:28So that says what kind of club we are, and now it's done.
09:34We know that Robbo is going to leave, we know that Mo is going to leave,
09:37so that means changing two players,
09:41where we also know that Kostad Simikas comes back.
09:43So I think the first aim is to see how we are acting in the position of Mo,
09:52if we want to replace that with a similar player,
09:55or are we going to do that differently.
09:58And for the rest I don't think at this moment of time
10:01there's a chance of other players leaving,
10:04so of course there's the Ibu contract situation.
10:10So yeah, then there might be not such a big need of trading a lot,
10:16if you don't need to bring a lot of new players in.
10:21Hi, I wanted to ask you about Liverpool's away ball.
10:25There have been some big wins, particularly in the Champions League,
10:28on the road this season,
10:29but the last six games you only won and lost the other five.
10:33So I just wonder what it is that you seem to have lost from that performance on the road?
10:41Yeah, you know better than me, because I wouldn't say you know better than me,
10:45but you know a lot about data, and me also,
10:49but I think it's always important to know what game we will play, when.
10:54So I know, as you might maybe also know,
10:56that we lost quite a lot of games after playing in Europe,
11:00and usually, as we also know,
11:02that we play on Wednesday night in a home game,
11:05or a home game, and then we played the 12.30 kick-off on Saturday.
11:09So that has proven to impact any team in the world,
11:13and that has probably impacted our results in away games,
11:16after playing in Europe also.
11:18I don't know if all six of them, you are mentioning,
11:20all have been played after a midweek game,
11:23but I think quite a lot of them were.
11:25The good thing now is that we played on Tuesday,
11:28and the next game is on Sunday, so that cannot impact that.
11:33But as we also know, it's not only difficult for us
11:36to win away games in the Premier League,
11:40it's difficult for every team to win games in the Premier League,
11:45let alone winning the away games,
11:47let alone if you've played in Europe,
11:49and there are only two days in between,
11:51which we've had a lot of times this season.
11:56Go back.
11:58The second match against PSG was one of the most intense of the season.
12:02How could the study factor affect Sunday's debut?
12:07I don't think it can affect that,
12:09because there are more than a few days in between.
12:13And it did not even affect us,
12:15the Fulham game affected us by being as intense as we were against PSG.
12:21Of course, of course I have to factor the Anfield in,
12:28because there might be people who think,
12:31why didn't you play like this away from home?
12:33No, that's a bit more complicated than people might think.
12:37So the fans play a big part in if you want to go as aggressive as we were
12:41and taking the risk as we did.
12:43Because we took the same risk in Paris,
12:46but then they were five or six times in front of our goalkeeper
12:48and now we could keep them away from our goal by large parts of the game.
12:54So, no, being tired has no influence on the game on Sunday.
13:02Michael.
13:02Hi, Arne.
13:03Have you spoken about Alexander?
13:04He's actually a really fit striker at the moment when he's scored,
13:08and the fact that he can't play in 90 minutes at the moment.
13:10How important is it to try and get back off the football fitness,
13:13as much as possible, for these final six games in the season?
13:16Yes, very important.
13:17Although there are also other players that can fill in that position,
13:20but those players have played in different positions throughout their lives more and more.
13:26But Cody did really well when he came in in the second half.
13:32Of course it's important, but it would have been even nicer.
13:36But yeah, you don't get it like that.
13:39The best thing was that Hugo was still fit.
13:43But if he wasn't done, if this would have happened,
13:46then two or three weeks later would it even be better,
13:49because Alex is not ready for 90 yet.
13:54Depending on the intensity of the game, by the way,
13:56because you never know how a game is going to work out.
13:59But he's getting closer and closer and now we need him,
14:04but there are different options to play as a nine as well.
14:08Federico Chiesa is also one of them.
14:09So there are different options,
14:12but it's definitely good to have Alex back now.
14:15Now Hugo is injured.
14:17Is John Gomez fit for him somewhere?
14:21No.
14:23Last couple of years.
14:25You said this season one of the challenges you've faced
14:28is managing your squad through an intense schedule.
14:32Obviously, that's going to be used now
14:33if you've rolled up the Premier League to focus on.
14:35Do you think we're going to see better performances as a result of that?
14:38More time on the training ground, obviously less intensity for players?
14:42Yeah.
14:43I think we've seen this season a lot of good performances,
14:46but we've also seen a lot of inconsistency in the performances,
14:49and that was, in my opinion, mainly due to the fact
14:52that we had to play so many games with almost all the time the same players.
14:59If you look at the 15, 20, 25 players that have made the most minutes this season,
15:04I think a lot of them that are in that list are from us.
15:09So that tells you a lot,
15:10and maybe that's one of the reasons why we've been a bit inconsistent,
15:13why we've conceded maybe late goals,
15:16because it's always two of the same players.
15:20Even the last game, if you look at that game, I had to bring Joe in,
15:23I had to bring him out.
15:24There were three players playing in the right full-back position,
15:27again, as it happened so many times this season.
15:30But to answer your question, yes, it's definitely helpful that most of our players,
15:36except for the long-term injuries, are available and they only play once a week,
15:39because it's been shown that a large part of our group is ready to play every single three days,
15:48because that's why so many of them are in the top 20, top 25 of most minutes.
15:53But it's also shown that not all of them are able to play every three days 90 minutes,
15:57that they either get injured by that or their performance drops a little bit.
16:07And maybe from that perspective it's a good thing that we are not playing in Europe anymore,
16:11but I would have definitely preferred to play in Europe,
16:14because that also gives energy to the group if you go to the semi-final of the Champions League.
16:19So I don't see it as a positive thing, that we are out,
16:25but it is the reality, so we face the reality,
16:28and indeed we have a bit more training time now than we've had till now.
16:34The last one?
16:35Just checking where Jaden is,
16:37I don't know if it's the same for the fourth time,
16:40I don't know if it's the same for the fourth time,
16:41but it's the same for the fourth time,
16:42or if it's the next team up there?
16:45Jaden?
16:46Yeah.
16:47No, the good thing for him is that he's been out for such a long time,
16:50and he's now getting back with the under-21s,
16:54getting some playing time,
16:56but I think there's still a large step to be made
16:59if you have not even played 90 minutes at the under-21,
17:02let alone then play a Premier League game.
17:07But the first thing that comes to my mind is that he's worked so hard,
17:10because I know this, because I see him around over here a lot,
17:13to be where he is now, and he's been also so unlucky to be out for such a long time,
17:17so I really like him to be back.
17:20But the reality is that he's not on the bench for us this weekend.
17:26Thanks for asking .
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