Arne Slot previews his first UCL game at Anfield ahead of Liverpool - Bologna - video Dailymotion

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Arne Slot previews his first UCL game at Anfield ahead of Liverpool - Bologna  01/10/2024  Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, UK

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00:00One yes, please, boss.

00:09Afternoon. Exactly the same process previously,

00:12we did translation and also please let us know if you want to ask a question.

00:16Vinny, if you can kick us off.

00:18Hi, Arna, can you bring us up to date with the injury situation?

00:21I'm thinking we didn't see Jota or Chiesa at training today,

00:24what's their situation and availability?

00:27Jorgo missed the other two sessions after the game against Wolves,

00:31he took a knock, I think that's what it was.

00:35So I'm expecting him to be with us tomorrow, that he's available to play.

00:42Federico trained with us yesterday, came in today with some problems,

00:46and I'm not expecting him to be in the team tomorrow,

00:49which is a pity for us, but of course for him even more,

00:53he was looking forward to a Champions League night.

00:56At Anfield, and especially because we face an Italian team, it's a pity for him,

01:01but he will be there many more nights to come for him.

01:06How long are you looking at with Federico?

01:09Yeah, that's always difficult because it happened yesterday,

01:12but I'm not expecting him to be out for a very long period of time,

01:16but this game is not possible for him,

01:19and we have to wait and see if he can manage to be in the team on Saturday,

01:23and afterwards is the international break.

01:26Arnit, obviously four straight wins in all competitions since the defeat to Nottingham Forest,

01:31you've gone top of the Premier League now as well,

01:33what do you see in your squad that suggests you can go longer in the Premier League title race

01:38and longer in Europe, compared to maybe what the side was able to do last season?

01:44One of the reasons why we can compete is because we have a lot of quality,

01:48and I also see a lot of team cohesion in the team,

01:50so if we score I also see the ones that don't play are really happy with us scoring and winning,

01:56so those are two really positive things.

01:58But I also see things we definitely have to improve

02:03if we want to stay where we are with the fixture list that's coming up.

02:10Like I said, every fixture is difficult in the Premier League,

02:14but everybody tells me that a top-league table team is a bit more difficult

02:20than a low-league table team, which we can all understand,

02:23and we haven't faced one of them yet.

02:25So we have to do things better, but one of the reasons why we can stay up there

02:30is because we have a lot of players with a lot of individual quality.

02:38Hi, Arnaut. In terms of selection, obviously if you have injuries then you have to make changes,

02:43but generally you haven't made too many changes this season,

02:46but when players have come in like Cody Gakpo or Darwin Nunez,

02:50how pleased have you been with the form that they've shown when they have come in?

02:54You pick two now, but I also think about Curtis Jones, Kostas, Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley,

03:01and now I forget a few, so maybe it was smarter for me not to name them.

03:05So I think that is maybe the question just a second ago,

03:12why can't you maybe compete at the levels we are at the moment,

03:15and that is because we have a lot of quality,

03:18but also we have a lot of quality, a lot of players that can help us.

03:22So we are really pleased to see that every time we need a player he shows up.

03:29But again, with the even tougher fixtures coming up it's something we still have to prove.

03:37It's nice obviously to have those options, but in a way is that one of the harder aspects of the job

03:42when you have players of that quality who don't start week in, week out?

03:45It's not hard because they have quality, it's hard because they train hard and work really hard

03:50and are really involved in the team process.

03:53That makes it hard sometimes to make the decision to say,

03:56OK, I choose these 11 and not the other ones.

03:58Not because they have quality, because if they didn't have quality they wouldn't have played here.

04:03They all have quality, but if they work real hard and they make my life really difficult,

04:09then it's hard to tell them that they don't play.

04:12But it is part of my job, it's part of their lives as well.

04:16You know if you're going to join a top club that there's competition,

04:21and I think this is what they are all so used to, playing at a top club, that this can happen.

04:27All of them are handling the situation really well,

04:31and that's why I just said there's a lot of team cohesion and a lot of good energy in the group.

04:37And that's the most important thing when it comes to competition.

04:41Rob.

04:44Hi, Arne. I'm interested in something you said after the game against Wolves,

04:48in which you were unhappy with the final minutes of the game in particular,

04:51which kind of surprised me, because I don't think Wolves had a shot on goal after the 75th minute.

04:56So I'm wondering if your unhappiness was more to do with the missed opportunities on the break

05:01to go out and kill the game, and how important do you think maintaining an attacking threat is

05:06when you're trying to protect a slender lead in a game like that?

05:09Yeah, you already gave the answers inside your question,

05:13so you can also sit on this chair maybe next time.

05:16It's exactly what you say, we haven't conceded anything in the last 15 minutes,

05:21hardly in the second half, I think they only had two shots in the whole second half.

05:26But in promising situations we lost the ball before it got to a chance,

05:33and we lost the ball a few times really easily before it even got to a promising situation.

05:39And I think we as a team, if you have that much quality, we cannot accept mediocrity.

05:47You have to ask yourself every second of the day, every second of the game,

05:52the highest standards that this shirt brings.

05:56And we as a staff have to set those standards very clearly,

06:01and that 15 minutes where we lost the ball so many times in promising positions,

06:05or moments that could lead to promising positions,

06:07is maybe not acceptable is the word to use.

06:12Chatman, next to you, man.

06:16Good afternoon. Bologna is definitely the underdog for this match,

06:20what did you learn about the Italian team studying it,

06:23and what's your main concern about the match for tomorrow?

06:27What do you mean?

06:33I think Bologna showed last season and this season again that they're a real difficult team to beat,

06:38because everybody's telling me they only won once,

06:41but I'll tell everyone they only lost once.

06:43So that means it's a difficult team to beat,

06:45and we as Liverpool know how difficult it can be to play against a team

06:50that's man-marking all over the pitch,

06:52which is what Bologna does and what Atalanta did here last season.

06:57So, yeah, to face an Italian team at Champions League level,

07:02and we know how difficult it was to face an Italian team at Europa League level,

07:08so we don't underestimate them at all.

07:11Because also that's not what they deserve for the way they played last season and even this season.

07:16Please just pass the microphone to the lady at the back.

07:23Hi, I just wanted to know if it's true that there was some interest in Beukema a few years ago,

07:29and what you think of this player?

07:43Listen, listen.

07:45Oh, I know.

07:48Senderbeek.

07:50Oh, sorry.

07:52The question was that I was interested.

07:54Yeah, yeah.

07:56I was interested in the club I worked for, that included me,

08:00was interested in signing him.

08:02He had a real good season with the club he promoted with,

08:06and we were looking for a Senderbeek and we saw a lot of potential in him.

08:10Unfortunately for us, he made the choice to go to a different club,

08:15and unfortunately for him, he chose the wrong club,

08:19because Feyenoord did much, much better than the club he chose.

08:23They're not going to like this, that club he chose.

08:27That was also one of my former clubs, that's why I made the joke.

08:33But he did really well at AZ Alkmaar,

08:35and he made a nice transfer to Bologna where he does really well again.

08:40Very good player, looking forward to meeting him and seeing him tomorrow.

08:52You mentioned then that you won't accept mediocrity,

08:56so how do you get that message across to the players?

09:00What did you say to them?

09:02Do you lose your temper in that situation?

09:06Do you get angry with the players?

09:09That differs, of course.

09:11I don't lose my temper that much,

09:13and I don't think it's a good idea to lose your temper every single day,

09:16because then players at a certain moment feel like,

09:19yeah, there he is again screaming at us.

09:21So that doesn't work, I think it's better to show them the actual things they do.

09:27But the positive thing about this group is that maybe I don't accept mediocrity,

09:33but these players themselves don't accept it as well.

09:37Even after the game I saw one or two players, maybe a few more even,

09:41that were also frustrated, not only about the last 15 minutes,

09:45but also about the way we started the game.

09:47That was also not of the standards I'm expecting from a Liverpool team or these players.

09:53So it's not only about me, it's also about the players,

09:57that they do not accept these things as well, or these moments as well.

10:03That's also normal, because now it didn't lead to a chance,

10:09but the few times we lost the ball in the last 10 to 15 minutes,

10:13I remember a moment where Ibu had to block a ball,

10:16I remember a moment where Trent had to sprint back to save,

10:19a moment where it could have led to them shooting on goal.

10:23So, yeah, it's not only about me not accepting it,

10:27the players don't accept it from themselves as well.

10:31Last few over here.

10:36Alexis was in here just a minute ago,

10:38and he spoke in one answer about having freedom,

10:41and then also spoke about the structure in the team.

10:43I'm just wondering how you apply that to the team and to players

10:48in terms of where they fit in the structure

10:50and what freedom you give them within that structure.

10:53It's nice that he says this, because this is also what I'm looking for,

10:57that they feel their structure,

11:00they could feel like,

11:01oh, we have to do exactly what he says all the time,

11:04which they have to do when we don't have the ball.

11:07When we don't have the ball there is no room for freedom,

11:11then it's just hard work and do what you have to do within the structure.

11:16But when we have the ball, especially in the last third of the pitch,

11:21then we also rely on the individual quality.

11:25We bring them as much as we can in certain positions,

11:29but then it also has a lot to do with the individual quality of the players,

11:33and they should feel freedom,

11:36even though they might not have it as much as he thinks he has.

11:40But it's good that they feel it that way.

11:47Just a word about your first Anfield Champions League night,

11:50it's a big moment really,

11:52and whether that was one of the things you most looked forward to

11:55when you became the manager of Liverpool?

11:58Yeah, I got the same question just a second ago,

12:00and I said I'm privileged enough to work at Feyenoord

12:03with Champions League nights last season,

12:05we're also really, really special.

12:07People tell me it's going to be even more special over here tomorrow,

12:10so what I expect from our players,

12:13they've missed out on Champions League for a year,

12:15so when they step out on the pitch tomorrow I want to see this,

12:17I want to feel this, that they feel like,

12:19oh, we missed this for a season,

12:21now a club of this standard we have to be ready.

12:24And I'm hoping and expecting the same from our fans,

12:27they've missed out on Champions League for a season,

12:29and I'm hoping that they feel this desire to show to Europe again,

12:34ah, you missed us because of this.

12:37And that combination should lead to hopefully a very special night

12:43for everyone that's involved in Liverpool.

12:47Last one here.

12:50Is the preparation any different for a big European game

12:52or just treat it like a normal match?

12:56That was a bit of Scouse.

12:58I'll translate.

13:00Is the preparation any different for a European match or just...?

13:03OK.

13:08No, that wouldn't be a good thing

13:10if the preparation would be different than for a normal league game.

13:13If we would have played an evening game at Anfield,

13:17we prepare it in the same way,

13:19so we also go into the hotel and prepare ourselves in that way.

13:23And when it comes to my preparation,

13:25or the preparation we have as a staff towards the players,

13:28we would send completely the wrong signal towards them

13:31if we would place Champions League above Premier League.

13:34So it's of equal importance just as the other games we play

13:38in the League Cup and the FA Cup.

13:40So in the lead-up to that there's no difference.

13:42Again, I'm hoping for a special evening when it comes to the fans tomorrow.

13:49Thank you, everyone. See you tomorrow.

Arne Slot previews his first UCL game at Anfield ahead of Liverpool - Bologna

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