Liverpool's Slot post surprise 3-1 loss to Chelsea

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Liverpool boss Arne Slot reacts to their surprise 3-1 defeat to Chelsea which boosts the Blues hopes of Champions League qualification Stamford Bridge, London, UK

Transcript

00:00Arno, what was your take on the game?

00:03Nothing good comes from losing a game of football.

00:10But if I have to take the positives, there were definitely a few positives.

00:14Dominating ball possession at Stamford Bridge is not what many teams do over here,

00:18because Chelsea is so comfortable with the ball as well.

00:22Being 2-0 down, don't give up.

00:25Try to fight yourself back into the game, that's what we did.

00:29We got already two big chances which we didn't score then.

00:31Chelsea was on the counter-attack a few times, very threatening.

00:35And then when we scored the 2-1, you were like, hmm, let's see if there's something in it.

00:39But I don't think there was a moment where we were close to scoring a goal

00:43and in the end a correct penalty being given and Chelsea won 3-1.

00:48So maybe the opposite from the home game where they dominated position and we won.

00:54Now it was the opposite.

00:57The difference Dominic made when he came on, sometimes it feels like your pressing relies on him.

01:04Do you think in hindsight that perhaps it was the midfielder you lost the game in the end?

01:09Because I feel like how he struggled in the game.

01:11No, it's never about one player.

01:13But one of the qualities Dom definitely has is the intensity he presses with.

01:20So you can come up with all the tactics in the world,

01:24but it's always the intensity of the press that makes the difference.

01:27It doesn't matter what I come up with, but if we are intense,

01:30it's so difficult to play through us.

01:32And one of the qualities Dominic has is definitely the pressing part,

01:36and that's why he played so much this season as well.

01:39I want to know, why did Federico Chiesa not get more minutes

01:43and have you seen your plans going forward?

01:45Because I decided to bring other players in first,

01:51because I already brought Darwin in, so that wasn't the position I could bring him in.

01:57Then Cody Kakpo, I liked him a lot today, played a really good game,

02:01and I've changed him, took him out in the last few weeks many times already.

02:05And Mo is always a player that can score a goal,

02:08so that's why I first made different substitutions.

02:12And in the end, I would almost say, like people expect from me over here,

02:16is that we take an extra risk, so get a defender out, bring Federico in.

02:21That also led to us scoring a goal, but not enough time left for him to make a difference, unfortunately.

02:27Did any impact on already being champions or rotating your team affect your performance?

02:33Did you think that had an impact?

02:35That we will never know, but I think what we also saw today,

02:38a lot of things that we've seen throughout the whole season,

02:41us playing through the high press of the opponents so many times,

02:46so many moments that we arrived in the final third.

02:49But I also saw us defending today, not that I'm used to that always,

02:54so the last percentages over there were not over normal standards.

02:58And in the final third, if we come there so many times,

03:03normally we are able to create more chances.

03:06So that could mean two things, either Chelsea did well in both boxes,

03:09which they did, but I think it tells us also a little bit about us.

03:13So in general, good performance, but the final percentages weren't there to win this game of football.

03:20The lead-up to both goals, a player of us slipped.

03:23So yeah, would that have happened as well if the game was on the line?

03:28Yes or no, we will never know.

03:30But the margins are small in the Premier League, especially if you play a team like Chelsea

03:34with so many quality players, then you cannot afford these kind of moments.

03:42Arno, you got the guard of honour from Chelsea, but their fans did seem so impressed,

03:46there was a bit of booing, wasn't it? Was that disappointing from your point of view?

03:49They didn't like their team then, or what? They didn't like their team? They booed for their team?

03:53No, I think they were booing for us.

03:55They were booing for us. I didn't hear it, to be honest.

03:59I only heard our fans during almost the whole game,

04:02and I just heard that they couldn't come here with trains, so they had to go by car.

04:06But they were in time, and they were loud throughout the whole game.

04:10So I haven't heard anyone booing, I've only heard our fans singing.

04:14Arno, congratulations, you've won the league.

04:17What have you and your players learned over the season

04:20that you can take forward to next year and possibly into Europe and win something there?

04:24The margins are small, and that's been throughout the whole season

04:29in the games we've won, and today again as well.

04:32So you slip twice, you can see two goals.

04:35Paris Saint-Germain, an incredible game, maybe the best game of our season at home,

04:39where we dominated the second half, we were just waiting for us to score a goal,

04:42which we didn't. Then, because players got tired, I had to make quite a lot of substitutions.

04:47We were lucky to end up taking the penalties, and yeah, talking about small margins,

04:53losing the penalty shootout, and they are now in the semi-final, we are out.

04:58So, yes, we all have quality players, Chelsea has them, City has them, Arsenal has them,

05:03Villa has them, City, do I forget a few up there? We have so many in this league.

05:10And we have them as well, but the margins are small, and that's why you have to work so hard every three days

05:18to get so many points on board, and that's what we did this season,

05:22and if we want to have any chance of competing next season, that's the minimum we need again.

05:27I'm just asking Chelsea a threat for next season, do you think?

05:31I expected them to be a threat this season, because they were at Anfield, they were better than us,

05:37they were so close to us, so it was a complete surprise to me that we are now 18 points clear of them,

05:43something like that. I didn't feel that at all coming when we played them.

05:48So that tells you how well we did, probably, if a team like this, with so much quality,

05:55and also not only in the first 11 but in the complete squad,

05:58we are able to be 18 points ahead of them, is a big compliment for our players.

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