Slot on Liverpool's 2-0 Bournemouth win and stretching lead at top to nine points

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Slot on Liverpool's 2-0 Bournemouth win and stretching lead at top to nine points  01/02/2025  Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, UK

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00:00Jürgen, what was your view on the game? It looked like a real battle today.

00:05It was. As expected.

00:09So I said before the game that after our home game when we were 3-0 up at half-time,

00:14the way they came at us the second half,

00:17I already knew what a great mentality this team has, and quality as well.

00:23And from that moment onwards they've done so well in the league,

00:27they've picked up points against so many good teams, not by luck,

00:30but because they're intense, they have quality,

00:35and that's why we knew it was always going to be very hard.

00:40And if you want to win here, maybe you need a bit of luck as well,

00:44because the margins are so small. Our penalty was just not offside,

00:49and their goal on 1-1 was on a margin offside, they hit the post twice.

00:54We had our chances as well, but it was a close call for us to win this game.

00:59Are you pleased with the way your players stood up to the physicality,

01:02because there can't be many games this season where it's quite so tough?

01:05No. No, that's true, like you were saying.

01:07So only a few. Only a few of them have been as tough as this,

01:10and that's what I've told them before,

01:12that in all the data when it comes to running, they are so high up in the list.

01:20So we knew that if we would have had any chance of a result over here,

01:24we at least had to compete with them in terms of running and fighting

01:28and playing the duels and all these things.

01:31And I think that's what the players did today.

01:35And, yeah, then having Mo Salah definitely helps in a game like this.

01:43What was the situation with Trent?

01:45The situation was that he said to me,

01:48you have to take me off, and he sat on the floor and we took him off.

01:53So he felt something. I cannot tell you exactly what and how bad it is,

01:57of course, because we are one hour after the game.

02:00But it's never a good sign if a player is asking for a substitution.

02:05So I would be surprised, this is not a fact,

02:07but I would be surprised if he plays on the first day.

02:10But let's hope he's back with us as soon as possible.

02:15Connection for Alisson as well, he was so important again today,

02:18two or three absolute world-class saves.

02:20Yeah. Like I said, if you want to win here against a team that is so competitive,

02:26you need a team performance and work rate, that's what we have,

02:30and you need some quality individuals that can make the difference for you.

02:33And that goal of Mo was absolute quality.

02:36And the saves Alisson made as well.

02:39But it was not only them,

02:42just the way our centre-backs were defending again today was also impressive.

02:46So team performance, work rate, incredible.

02:48Only way to have a chance for a result.

02:51And then you need good individual performance

02:55and you need positive margins,

02:57like I just explained with both our sides that were in our favour.

03:02Arjen, it feels like, maybe to outsiders of us,

03:07the sort of game that title races swing on,

03:11where, as you say, very fine margins.

03:14For the bigger picture, I think it's 15 games to go now.

03:17Yeah.

03:18As someone who's played in those sort of teams,

03:21did it feel like that for you?

03:23Almost every game feels like this for me.

03:24So, we've had so many of our games have been, until the end, exciting.

03:31And there were a few moments already this season

03:35where I felt we were just not on the right side.

03:37So all the points we've got till now,

03:40I think we deserve them.

03:41I've said many times already,

03:43the Chelsea game, that's under debate then maybe.

03:46And this game, yeah, we weren't unlucky, let's put it that way.

03:50But Fulham at home, being 2-2, getting chance after chance,

03:53United at home, getting chance after chance at 2-2.

03:57And there was another game for us that ended in a draw

04:00with us getting chance after chance in the end of the game.

04:03So, yeah.

04:06But what I want from them and what they want from each other

04:09is that they fight in every single game from the first till the last second

04:12to get the maximum result, and that's what the fans expect from them

04:17playing for this club.

04:18And that's what we try to do in every single game.

04:20And that's also what's necessary

04:21if you want to have any chance of a result in this league.

04:27I noticed that Ryan Gravenberch was a bit more pushed

04:29towards the right-hand side today.

04:31Is that an intentional tactic, can you say?

04:34What do you think?

04:35I think it was. Is there any way you can talk about it?

04:38Not many things that we do are just by coincidence.

04:41So I think it's clear that they have many good things, this team.

04:49But their left full-back is definitely a threat going forwards.

04:53And Mo Salah is an incredible player,

04:59but his main strength is not following the opposite full-back.

05:04Some people are laughing over here, I don't know why that is.

05:06And I see a goal over here.

05:11But that's not the only thing.

05:12We want to keep Mo as much as we can forward as well,

05:14because it is a risk for every team that plays us.

05:18If the left full-back goes, I think it was...

05:22What game did we play? I think one or two games ago.

05:26It was at home. I don't exactly know.

05:30Which game did we play last at home?

05:33Did he score? Yeah, the first goal, Mo, didn't he?

05:36Yeah, and that was a moment where the left full-back just wanted to go forward,

05:42and then Mo was free in transition and it was a goal for Mo.

05:45But, yeah, it's clear that if you leave Trent constantly

05:48with Semenyo and Kerekes in the 2-1,

05:51that is not the best idea that I can come up with.

05:57Congrats on the win. I just wanted to get your thoughts

06:00on that penalty decision in the first half.

06:02There's been a lot of controversy about it online.

06:05I just wanted to get your thoughts about it.

06:08From who is the controversy? Online there's always controversy,

06:12so especially from fans that are probably not in favour of Liverpool.

06:17The only thing I can say is, and I haven't seen it back,

06:20is that one of my players is on a clear 1-v-1 to the goalkeeper,

06:24and he's falling down, so either he makes a swalba...

06:27Is that an English word as well? A dive?

06:30Either he makes a dive... It's a German word.

06:34Either he makes a dive or they touch him,

06:36and if they touch him, yeah, then for me it's a penalty.

06:40And if then it would not have even been a chance,

06:42you're always like, yeah, is this really a penalty then?

06:44But this was such a clear 1-on-1 chance that,

06:50yeah, if he touched him, which I assume he did,

06:52otherwise the VAR would have probably interfered.

06:55And Kerekes impressed today a lot of people.

06:58Is he a player that you'll be looking at in the summer?

07:01I don't think I have to talk about players that we are interested in,

07:06let alone a player from Bournemouth.

07:08He's playing over here, he's having a great season,

07:11as many, many, many other players here as well,

07:14and that shows you probably how good of a manager you have over here,

07:17and what a great sports director you had over here,

07:20and maybe still have, I don't know how he's doing now.

07:23But he brought in very good players,

07:25and this manager works with them in an incredible way,

07:27because he brings the best out of every single player,

07:30including the one you just mentioned,

07:32but I'm not talking about an individual,

07:34they are all doing, bringing the best out of their game at the moment.

07:40Sometimes those are the sort of things you need to go for you,

07:43is that almost like an element of the luck in inverted commas,

07:46you need to win games like this and to win titles ultimately?

07:52I can come up with three, four, five examples

07:54where we didn't have the luck we deserved,

07:56or we didn't get the decision we deserved.

08:01But that's always the difficult thing in football,

08:03if there's one then in your favour,

08:05people will probably tell you,

08:06there's always that luck for Liverpool,

08:09or for the one that's number one at the moment.

08:15So, yeah, for me this has nothing to do with luck,

08:18it's a clear 1-3-1,

08:19and I can tell you if Cody Kakpo goes 1-3-1 to the goalkeeper,

08:23it's quite a big chance as well.

08:25Yeah, if you are then tripped, it is a penalty,

08:29and it's not like it's a penalty from a little push from a set-piece,

08:32and it wasn't even a chance.

08:34So I wouldn't call this luck,

08:37unless I see it back and I see he didn't touch him at all,

08:40then it was not luck,

08:43then it was a wrong decision by the referee and the VAR,

08:46but I assume that that was not the situation.

08:54Yeah.

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