- 19 hours ago
Liverpool boss Arne Slot previews their Premier League game with Chelsea, speaks on what he views as a disappointing season and updates on the fitness of key players
AXA Training Centre, Liverpool, UK
AXA Training Centre, Liverpool, UK
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00:05All good?
00:06All good.
00:09Arne, shall we start with the injuries? I'll go through them one by one.
00:12Alexander Isak?
00:15It's going to be a long press conference.
00:18Alex trains with us again.
00:21Only yesterday for the first time, so that's positive.
00:27Yesterday he did parts of it, so hopefully he can do parts or everything today
00:32and let's see how much we're going to use him tomorrow.
00:36Alisson and Mamedashvili?
00:38Alisson, not yet. He doesn't train with us yet, but very close to.
00:43Georgie will train with us today for the first time, so let's see how he's going to react.
00:47And Mo?
00:48Mo also not trains with us yet, but it's also like Ali getting very close to training with us.
00:56Obviously we were here training on Wednesday as well, Florian Wirtz and Ibu were not out there.
01:01What's the situation with those two?
01:05Ibu had a personal reason not to be there, but he was there yesterday and today again.
01:12Florian was a bit unwell, but he trained with us yesterday also.
01:17Four points needed to guarantee Champions League as it stands,
01:20although looking at the goal difference a win would probably seal it,
01:24because you need a nine-goal swing with Bournemouth there.
01:28But what importance are you putting on not just getting over the line,
01:32but in terms of performances as well over the remaining three games?
01:36Usually this goes hand-in-hand, if you have a good performance that usually leads to a result,
01:42so that's why performances are very crucial and important.
01:45It's not always like that in football, sometimes you can have a poor performance but still win,
01:49but over the long term it helps if your performance is good,
01:54then it helps you for picking up more points.
01:56But the first and main aim is to qualify for Champions League,
02:02and I think we've shown this season that we need a good performance to get results,
02:07because the opposite has been true a lot of times,
02:11that we had a good performance but the result was not there,
02:13but we did not have many times a poor performance and still had the results.
02:17It's not the type of team we are, we are not that well in set pieces
02:22or holding on, defending with all we got,
02:25so we usually need to have a good performance to win a game of football.
02:28So what are you expecting from Chelsea as well then,
02:31given their run of eight consecutive defeats in the Premier League?
02:37If information is correct, a few of their players that we've been really missing have come back,
02:41so it will probably be a stronger team than last week.
02:46If the players that they say are back, are back, that will be massive for them,
02:53as it is for any team, if you miss out your best players, that's never helpful to get results.
03:01But it's always a difficult game for both teams because there is so much quality on both ends,
03:06so it doesn't matter that much at the moment, I think, how much you lost or how much you won,
03:12it's a game between a lot of very good individual players.
03:16Let's hope we have a very good team performance as well,
03:21because that usually helps individuals in being even better.
03:25Anna, is it possible to know what to expect from Chelsea,
03:28given the circumstance that they're in and the results that they've had as well?
03:31Yeah, absolutely, because all managers have their own idea about football,
03:39or what I mean they've had three this season,
03:41and I think the current manager is a bit closer to what Mariska usually did,
03:48so he has a very clear identity in how he plays,
03:52so it's exactly clear what to expect.
03:55It's usually the three box-free they are playing with,
03:58and it depends a little bit on which players they are using,
04:02how they fill in the positions,
04:04but they have a very clear identity,
04:06as they had in a new senior,
04:08but they also have a very clear identity under this manager.
04:11Just to pick up on one of your answers from before as well,
04:13obviously you want to finish the season as well as possible,
04:17I just wonder how important it is for everyone around the club,
04:20how important it is to have a genuinely positive end to this season,
04:25considering the ups and downs that you've had at times,
04:28and just signing off in the right way ahead of next year?
04:31No, I think the season has been gone in a way that even if we have three wins
04:35and three very positive results,
04:37I don't think everyone will still be positive about how we ended the season,
04:40how the season has been.
04:41So it's important that we, as I said now so many times,
04:47that we get at least one win over the line,
04:50which we think is enough to qualify,
04:52we're not sure because four points makes it completely clear,
04:56and that's what we need to do.
04:57And what we are trying, which we've tried the whole season,
05:00to do this in the best possible way performing-wise,
05:02which has not always happened, but that's always been the aim.
05:09The positive thing is that a few of the players that can be really important for us
05:13are either coming back for the weekend or after the weekend,
05:17so that can only help us to achieve what we want to achieve.
05:21Do you not think that it would make a difference, though,
05:24to sign off with wins and lift the mood a little bit?
05:28If I can choose, I prefer to win three times with three very good performances,
05:33let that be clear, but that will not silence the criticism,
05:38or is that the word to use?
05:41Therefore we need to have a much longer run of good results and good performances.
05:46But that's not where we are focused on now,
05:49the focus is on three more games.
05:55Next season will also be different in terms of personnel,
05:59so the focus for this team is now after everything that we've done,
06:03that we've been through to qualify for Champions League.
06:07Hi Arne, I know you've said on countless occasions recently
06:12that it has been a season overall of underperformance,
06:17but all the inquests can wait until the end of the season,
06:21and three good results between now and the times up for the season will improve things.
06:28Do you think maybe the players are being held back on occasions
06:33because of a lack of self-belief?
06:36Because you've told us on so many occasions the things that have gone wrong,
06:40and has that become a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy?
06:43So many things have gone wrong that it weighs heavy on the players?
06:48No, I think it always weighs heavy on the players if you lose more games than you would want,
06:56especially at a club like this, because these players are used to winning,
07:00so the moment they start to lose that's never a nice feeling to have,
07:04especially if you play for this club.
07:07Underperformance clearly in the Premier League, we didn't pick up the points we should have picked up,
07:13but also if you look performance-wise, and again I'm not saying that we had a very good season in
07:17the Premier League,
07:18but we've played better and deserved more points than we were having,
07:22for a few obvious reasons which I will not go into now.
07:27And in the Champions League I think we've performed at our standards,
07:32number three in the group stage, beating Calatasaray and going out against Paris Saint-Germain.
07:37I think every team in the last two years have gone out when it's a two-knock-out game,
07:43so not one game because Chelsea beat them in America,
07:47but if it's over two games there's not one team that has been able to beat them over two games.
07:53So unfortunately we weren't able to as well,
07:57although at Anfield we could have gone really close if the VAR would not have overturned a decision
08:03that usually has not been overturned by VAR.
08:07Football is a risk and reward game,
08:10and your tactical standpoint, depending on where you sit, will go one way or the other,
08:16but what's going to enable the team to not be as vulnerable to counter-attacks as you have been quite
08:26often this season?
08:30In moments we've been vulnerable in counter-attacks,
08:34it's not like we conceded ten counter-attacks a game or eight or seven or six.
08:40At Manchester we conceded two counter-attacks indeed where one of the two went in,
08:44the other one was just almost close, Bruno Fernandes.
08:49But I don't think that's the only thing we've been vulnerable at.
08:53When we were in a low block, defending crosses, there are too many things,
08:58we've been too vulnerable in moments.
09:01But it would also help if we would score more goals,
09:04because I think controlling the game from a 2-0 lead is always easier
09:07than being 1-0 down or 2-0 down or 1-1 or 2-2.
09:10So it's a mix of everything.
09:13I've said many times it's for me very clear and obvious where we have to improve,
09:18and that's what we've tried to achieve throughout the whole season.
09:21It has worked with ups and downs,
09:23but it's definitely something we will address in the summer
09:26where we think we can improve on the market
09:30and then afterwards on the training ground.
09:36We know you're losing Mo and Andy Robertson in the summer,
09:40two senior players,
09:41and Mo in the interviews last week spoke about the bond of the team is changing,
09:47or is changing.
09:48I'm just wondering how much of a part you think that has played in this season
09:52in terms of the team mentality?
09:56There's a difference between bonding and mentality,
09:59so there's a difference in your question.
10:01When it comes to bonding, I think it makes complete sense
10:04that players that have played six, seven, eight, nine years with each other
10:07have more bonding than when there's a group of players that's new with each other.
10:13When it comes to the mentality,
10:15I think this team has shown this season many times
10:18that when we were in difficult circumstances,
10:20even last week United being 2-0 down at half-time,
10:22and again they showed the mentality to come back into the game
10:26and actually deserved maybe in that moment when we were back in the game,
10:30when we were at 2-2.
10:31I'm not saying in the first half we didn't deserve to be up,
10:33but when we were at 2-2 we probably deserved to get the third goal,
10:37which we didn't get, which has happened also many times this season.
10:41But in terms of bonding, it makes complete sense to me
10:43that a team that has played years together has more bonding
10:47than a team that is new together.
10:50But bonding is a completely different word than mentality.
10:55That's how you say about mentality,
10:56but is that something that can be injected into a squad?
11:00Your squad is quite young or will be when you lose 30 students like Mo and Andy,
11:06your average age drops quite a bit as well.
11:08So is the mentality, the experience of football,
11:12is that something you can inject into your squad via the transfer market?
11:17Do you need that sort of experience?
11:20For me, mentality has nothing to do with age.
11:24And I think you know because when Mo was 26 and these players were all in their prime,
11:30they were able to win the Champions League, to win the Premier League,
11:32to pick up 99 points.
11:34So you don't have to be 32 to know what standards mean.
11:37And I think recently we have quite a good example of players that are not that old,
11:42the ones of Paris Saint-Germain,
11:43but definitely have the standards what it takes to win a game of football
11:46in terms of attacking with XI and defending with XI.
11:50So for me, mentality has absolutely nothing but nothing to do with age,
11:58but more with personal, the character of a player or the personality of the player.
12:02And of course you can inject this in the transfer market,
12:07but we also have a lot of players, maybe all of them,
12:11that have the right mentality to play for this club.
12:17You mentioned earlier about changing personality,
12:19it kind of follows off into what you're talking about there with Mo and Robbo leaving.
12:23Do you worry that because you are going to add some players this summer
12:26there's going to be more changes, big players leaving as well?
12:29Do you have any concerns there's going to be another season of transition
12:32where those players are going to have to adapt?
12:34It will take time, as it has with certain players this season?
12:37No, I'm only looking forward to it, so I have no worry at all.
12:41Looking forward to it.
12:43As I looked forward to working with these players two years ago,
12:45and one year ago to look forward to the players I'm working with now.
12:49I think as your manager you're never worried,
12:51you just look forward to starting working with a group of players.
12:58Indeed, it will be another little transition,
13:01probably not as drastic as it was last summer,
13:04but we have to change a bit of personnel because of the two players that are leaving.
13:10We have to replace where one of them will probably be replaced with Kostatsimikas,
13:14because he's coming back off alone.
13:17So no, I'm only looking forward to start again next season,
13:22but that's not my main aim at the moment.
13:24My main aim at the moment is getting over the line in the upcoming three games,
13:30and then go on a holiday.
13:32When I'm on holiday I'm already with a lot of energy looking forward to next season,
13:38which then is going to take me three, four or five weeks before every player is back from the World
13:42Cup,
13:43but that's everywhere the same.
13:45The only difference is maybe that we have a lot of changes
13:48where other teams usually add players to what they are having,
13:53when we talk about the Premier League.
13:54In other leagues players go and players come in,
13:57in the Premier League it's usually adding.
14:00I want to go back to something you mentioned earlier,
14:02about how the team has to be playing well to pick up points,
14:06and they aren't as good at maybe holding on and defending in a tight situation.
14:13I wonder what you think has changed from last season,
14:15because last season you were very good at doing that,
14:18holding on to a one-goal lead with 15-20 minutes to go,
14:21including the game against Chelsea last season.
14:24So obviously there are some different players,
14:27but there's still quite a lot of the same squad who were there last season.
14:29So I wonder what you think has changed?
14:31I don't think we've had a lead as many times as we had last season,
14:34but I'm not completely sure if that's true,
14:36because last season I've also heard a lot of times that after half-time
14:40we came out better than in the first half,
14:44which is maybe still the situation,
14:46because also at Old Trafford we were a bit better in the second half than the first half.
14:50Although the main difference was that in the second half we got two goals from United,
14:54where we gave away two in the first half,
14:56but from open play over 90 minutes we've hardly created a chance.
14:59So when people say the second half is so much better than the first half,
15:03I'm like, OK, I think we dominated both halves in terms of ball possession,
15:08but we hardly created a chance from open play in both halves.
15:10Where in the second half, as I said, we got two goals of them,
15:17in terms of a good high press in both situations,
15:20but two big mistakes of them, where we in the first half made these mistakes with them scoring goals.
15:28So, yeah, I cannot tell you exactly,
15:32and if I could I don't think this is the place to tell you exactly what my take on that
15:40is.
15:42That will maybe be clearer after the summer.
15:45So do you think it might be that a new set of players coming in will help change some of
15:50those things?
15:51No, no, no, always new players always change things,
15:55that's what we've seen last season as well.
15:58So if you have different players, different profiles,
16:01that also means usually that you see in details things,
16:06things are different than they were,
16:08which makes complete sense because you always play to the strength of your players,
16:11at least that's what you try.
16:14And it depends on who we can bring in,
16:16how things will exactly look next season,
16:19but that there are definitely things we have to improve.
16:22You guys are already mentioning a few,
16:23and I have a few more.
16:26That's completely clear.
16:28Hi, Arne.
16:30Obviously you're facing the same difficulties like against Man United at the front,
16:36no Ekitiki, no Mo.
16:39It's a doubt, maybe Bird's unwell, but let's say he will play.
16:44So in these circumstances will you ask more attacking contribution from Dominic?
16:52I always ask for attacking a contribution from Dominic,
16:56which he gave us last week because he was involved in both goals.
17:02It doesn't matter where he plays, if he plays as a full-back,
17:05I still ask this from him because it's one of his qualities to add that to the team.
17:09But it's completely clear if you miss out on so many goals,
17:13because Mo, Alex, Hugo, I think Flo is available, but let's see how he is today.
17:18Of course you miss out on a lot of goals, but there are still players available for us
17:23that can score goals, and it's not that we need ten goals tomorrow,
17:29at least that's not what I expect.
17:32We need a good performance and I think we have more than only these three or four players
17:36that can score a goal for us.
17:39I think this season has shown that our goals are quite spread around all players,
17:43where last season we were much more dependent on Mo,
17:48although Cody and Lucio scored a lot of goals as well,
17:52and maybe some others.
17:54But this season has been much more spread.
17:56So, yeah.
18:01Arnaud, do you want to check on Conor Bradley?
18:03Would you expect to have him back for the start of pre-season,
18:05or is that going to drag on beyond that, do you think?
18:09I think, I don't think this is what they tell me,
18:12in a rehab it's always really important in certain steps if they go well
18:16or they don't go well, and it's really difficult in the stage where he's in now
18:21to predict exactly when he will be back.
18:24That will be by margins.
18:26So, he's still inside, he works really hard to make the right steps,
18:32but he's at this moment quite far away of already going outside
18:37and that makes it quite complicated to tell how long it's going to take.
18:44It's an honor.
18:45You're welcome.
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