NewsArne Slot press conference: Brighton rematch, Quansah, rotating roles and more

The Reds beat the Seagulls 3-2 away from home in the Carabao Cup in midweek and now host Fabian Hurzeler’s side in the Premier League tomorrow.

Ahead of the rematch, Slot spoke to the media about facing Brighton again, the rotation of roles within his squad, Jarell Quansah, Alexis Mac Allister’s position and more.

Read a summary below…

• Arne Slot update on Alisson Becker, Federico Chiesa and Diogo Jota fitness

On what he’s discovered about his squad so far this season...

I think you learn every day, especially if you are not long with the team – as I am – so I think you learn every day from new situations. I said before, the Chelsea game was something I learned from, that they could sit deep and defend a lead. The way they came back against Arsenal was really strong and the amount of games we have to play that they are still able to be available and play good football, that is also something you see. Then, we also saw during the week that players that haven’t played that much maybe can have an impact on our team as well. We will need them during the whole season, so it’s good to see they are already on the level they need to play for us.

On whether it ‘feels strange’ to be playing Brighton again...

No, it’s not that strange for us in football. In the older Champions League or Europa League world, if it went to [knockouts] you faced a team after a week again. So, in football we are used to playing the same team after a few days. So, it’s not weird, especially because both teams didn’t start with the team they will start with on Saturday. I think for both managers it’s a positive thing because you know even more about the opponent. Although, players make the game and it is, of course, a difference if a different player plays. The playing style might be the same but the quality of the players make nine out of 10 times the difference. That changes the game on Saturday compared to the one on Wednesday.

On his different options for the No.9 role...

The good thing was that when you look at our front line then we could play with two of our regular starters, with Cody Gakpo and Lucho Diaz. They had a big impact on the scoresheet, of course. The way we filled in the No.9 position [on Wednesday] was interesting to see because I think it worked out really well, but in the end I prefer to play with a real No.9 – but it is maybe now an extra possibility that we have if we have injuries. Although maybe with Diogo Jota, who is also a bit of a nine-and-a-half, we implemented that style already, but to play with Curtis [Jones] and Dom [Szoboszlai], they are definitely midfielders and Diogo is a striker. So, it was good to see that we could score three goals, even without playing with an old-fashioned No.9.

On the influence of leaders in the squad in maintaining confidence within the group…

They are important, as every teammate is important for every player, but I don’t agree with everything you said. I think Jarell played a very good game [on Wednesday], the only issue he has at the moment is if he has a moment that is not perfect it immediately leads to a goal. That’s what happened in this game. He was, in my opinion, unlucky. I know you cannot judge a player leaving these two moments [out], because they are so vital for a result. But he is getting better and better and better, and he was already really good. So, for him, it’s that last step maybe to make, which he has already showed in the past that he can play a game without making these small mistakes.

So, he is a bit in an unlucky period when it comes to, if he makes a small mistake it immediately leads to a goal. But if I look at his overall performance, I really liked what I saw. He was confident on the ball. Also, when we conceded it was not out of, ‘I’m afraid to make a decision’, it’s just by taking initiative and these things can happen, in my opinion. I liked the way he played. He was a bit unlucky with the second goal as well but, for me, that was not his game. So, I wouldn’t say he is not able to play in the upcoming days or weeks. He is definitely in competition with two centre-backs that are hardly making any mistakes at the moment. But apart from the mistakes I think he played similar to Virgil [van Dijk] and Ibou [Konate], with a lot of confidence, playing the ball out from the back and defending really well. So, for me, it was a good performance but a bit unlucky in the end.

On Mac Allister’s position…

He is a player that I would maybe play in all three positions in the midfield because he is so comfortable in all these three positions. I think I saw quite a lot of him at Brighton because there was a manager I was quite interested in back then, that was [Roberto] De Zerbi of course. He was playing a double-six there as well, and in some moments he also played as a No.10. He can play both.

I think he is now in the moment our midfielder that plays a bit in between. So, Ryan [Gravenberch] is almost always the deepest, Dom or Curtis are playing a bit higher and then he’s in between. It depends on how dominant we are if he is the second No.10 or if he has to be the second No.6. But he is comfortable in both phases of the game, he can help a lot with us bringing the ball out from the back and he is also capable of making the difference in and around the 18-yard box. We like to see him in both situations as much as we can.

On his options at left-back and rotating in the position…

No, I wouldn’t say a ‘dilemma’. It is in more positions where we have rotated; you are maybe a bit focused on the left full-back position but the left wing has been in rotation, in midfield we have rotated, in the No.9 position we have rotated. It probably also has to do with Robbo [Andy Robertson]’s pre-season. What does that mean? He had no pre-season because he came back injured from the Euros so he missed almost a complete pre-season. Which was for most of them only two weeks, but for him it was only a few days. Kostas [Tsimikas] did really well in that period of time.

It has to do with the quality Kostas brings in that position but it definitely also has to do with Robbo missing pre-season, so that’s why we started rotating from the start a bit – because if a player didn’t have any pre-season there was no time to bring him towards the situation where he could play three games in a row. Because we tried to build up our players for that programme and for him that was difficult because he missed out on pre-season, where others were there. That’s his situation and I think it was good for him to play [against] Arsenal and now again the game against Brighton during the week, that makes sure that he’s getting into that rhythm of playing twice a week.