NewsArne Slot press conference: Bologna, Anfield, setting standards and more

The Reds head coach met with reporters at Anfield ahead of his side’s fixture with the Serie A outfit in L4, which is set for an 8pm BST kick-off on Wednesday night.

Read every word the boss had to say in the media briefing below…

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On whether his side can continue to compete at the same level in both the Premier League and Champions League...

One of the reasons we can compete is because we have a lot of quality and I also see a lot of team cohesion in the team. So, if we score, I also see the ones who don’t play are really happy with us scoring [and] with us winning. Those are two really positive things, but I also see things we definitely have to improve if we want to stay where we are with the fixture list coming up. Like I said, every fixture [is] really difficult in the Premier League, but everybody tells me that a top league table team is a bit more difficult than a lower league table team, which we can all understand, and we haven’t faced one of them yet. So, we have to do things better, but one of the reasons why we can stay up there is because we have a lot of players with a lot of individual quality.

On the form of players like Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez when they have come in to the team...

You pick two now, but I also think about Curtis Jones [and] about Kostas [Tsimikas] and about Joe Gomez [and] Conor Bradley and now I forget a few, so that maybe was smart of me not to name them! I think that maybe the question just a second ago was why can you maybe compete at the levels we are at the moment? And that is because we have a lot of quality. But also we have a lot of quality [and] a lot of players that can help us. We’re really pleased to see that every time we need a player that he shows up. But again, with the even tougher fixtures coming up, it’s something we still have to prove.

On whether his team selections are one of the ‘harder’ aspects of his job...

It’s not hard because they have quality, it’s hard because they train hard and work really hard and are really involved in the team process. That makes it hard then sometimes to make the decision to say, ‘OK, I choose these 11 and not the other ones.’ Not because they have quality, because if they wouldn’t have quality [then] they would not play here. They all have quality. But if they work real hard and they make my life really difficult then it’s hard to tell them that they don’t play. But it is part of my job [and] it is part of their lives as well. You know if you’re going to join a top club that there’s competition. I think this is what they are also used to, playing at a top club this can happen. All of them [are] handling the situation really well and that’s why I just said there’s a lot of team cohesion and a lot of good energy in the group, and that’s the most important thing when it comes to competition.

On how important maintaining an attacking threat is when trying to protect a lead like at Wolves, and why he was ‘unhappy’ with the final 15 minutes of that match...

It’s exactly what you say. We haven’t conceded anything [in] the last 15 minutes [against Wolves]. Hardly [at all] in the second half, I think they only had two shots in the whole second half. But in promising situations we lost the ball before it got to a chance and we lost the ball a few times really easy before it even got to a promising situation. I think we as a team, if you have that much quality, we cannot accept mediocrity. You have to ask from yourself every second of the day [and] every second of the game the highest standards that this shirt brings. We as a staff have to set those standards very clear and that 15 minutes where we lost the ball so many times in promising positions, or moments that could lead to promising positions, is maybe ‘not acceptable’ is the word to use.

On what he expects from opponents Bologna and the challenge they pose...

I think Bologna showed last season and this season again that they are a real difficult team to beat because everybody is telling me they only won once, but I‘ll tell everyone they only lost once. That means it‘s a difficult team to beat and we as Liverpool know how difficult it can be to play against a team that‘s man-marking all over the pitch, which is what Bologna does, and what Atalanta did here last season. To face an Italian team at Champions League level, we know how difficult it was to face an Italian team on Europa League level, so we don‘t underestimate them at all. That‘s also not what they deserve for the way they played last season and even this season.

On having previous interest in Bologna defender Sam Beukema…

I was interested, the club I worked for – that included me – was interested in signing him. He had a real good season with the club he [got] promoted with. We were looking for a centre-back and we saw a lot of potential in him. Unfortunately for us, he made the choice to go to a different club. And unfortunately for him, he chose the wrong club because Feyenoord did much, much, much better than the club he chose! They’re not going to like this at that club he chose! That was also one of my former clubs, that’s why I made the joke! But he did really well at AZ Alkmaar and he made a nice transfer to Bologna, where he does really well again. A very good player, looking forward to meeting him and seeing him tomorrow.

On ‘not accepting mediocrity’ and how he gets that message across to players…

That differs, of course. I don’t lose my temper that much and I don’t think it’s a good idea to lose your temper every single day because then players at a certain moment feel like, ‘Yeah, there he is again screaming at us.’ That doesn’t work, I think it’s better to show them the actual things they do. The positive thing about this group is that, maybe I don’t accept mediocrity but these players themselves don’t accept it as well. So, even after the game [last weekend] I saw one or two players – maybe a few more even – that were also frustrated, not only about the last 15 minutes but also about the way we started the game. That was also not of the standards I’m expecting from a Liverpool team or from these players.

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It’s not only about me, it’s also about the players, that they do not accept these things or these moments as well. And that’s also normal. Now it didn’t lead to a chance but a few times we lost the ball in the last 10 to 15 minutes, I remember a moment where Ibou [Konate] had to block a ball, I remember a moment where Trent [Alexander-Arnold] had to sprint back to save a moment where it could have led to them shooting on goal. So, it’s not only about me not accepting it, the players don’t accept it from themselves as well.

On Alexis Mac Allister saying the players have freedom within the team’s overall structure…

It’s nice that he says this because this is also what I’m looking for, that they feel the structure. But if they only feel structure, they could feel like, ‘We have to do exactly what he says all the time.’ Which they have to do when we don’t have the ball. When we don’t have the ball there’s no room for freedom, it’s just hard work and doing what we have to do. But when we have the ball, especially in the last third of the pitch, then we also rely on the individual quality. We bring them as much as we can in certain positions, which comes from structure, but then it also has a lot to do with the individual quality of the players. And they should feel freedom, even though he might not have it as much as he thinks he has. But it’s good that they feel it that way.

On this being his first home Champions League fixture with the Reds…

Yeah, I got the same question just a second ago and I said I was privileged enough to work at Feyenoord, where Champions League nights last season were also really, really special. People tell me it’s going to be even more special over here tomorrow. So, what I expect from our players... they have missed out on the Champions League for a year, so when they step out on the pitch tomorrow, I want to see this, I want to feel this, that they feel like, ‘Oh, we missed this for a season and now a club of these standards, we have to be ready.’ And I am hoping and expecting the same from our fans, they have missed out on the Champions League for a season, and I’m hoping they feel this desire to show to Europe again, ‘You missed us because of this.’ That combination should lead to hopefully a very special night for everyone that is involved in Liverpool.

On whether preparation differs for a European game…

No, that wouldn’t be a good thing if the preparation would be different than for a normal league game. If we would’ve played an evening game at Anfield we prepare it in the same way, so we also go into the hotel and prepare ourselves in that way. And when it comes to my preparation, or the preparations we have as a staff towards the players, we would send completely the wrong signal towards them if we would place the Champions League above the Premier League. It’s of equal importance, just as the other games we play in the League Cup and the FA Cup. In the lead-up to that there’s no difference. Again, I am hoping for a special evening when it comes to the fans tomorrow.

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