Q&AArne Slot press conference: Man City challenge, using Anfield in the 'right way' and more

The Reds hold an advantage of eight points at the top of the standings ahead of a return to domestic action this weekend for a fixture with Pep Guardiola’s outfit at Anfield.

Prior to the the 4pm GMT kick-off on Sunday, Slot sat down to answer questions from reporters at the AXA Training Centre – read a summary of the press briefing below…

On Jude Bellingham’s comment that Liverpool are the ‘best-performing team in Europe’ currently...

If he talks about results in the Champions League, so if you are number one in the Champions League league table, then it’s true that when it comes to results, we have been in the last five games the best-performing team. But I said it last night already, the best team in Europe is still Real Madrid because they won the Champions League last season and the one that wins it this season can say they are the one that’s then [the best]. At this moment in time, it is only five games in for us.

On how big Sunday’s game could be in the context of the season...

I think in general if you play one of your competitors it is always an important moment that has not so much to do with the amount of points they have or we have. These teams have always been in the last few years very close to each other, so those games are always very important. Just like the ones against Arsenal and Chelsea, but those ones are only important if you win against all the other teams so that makes it that almost every game is very important to win, for them and also for us.

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On whether City will be ‘easier’ to face given their recent run of form...

I don’t think anyone in the last eight or nine years, or maybe even longer, would have said that City at home or away, the word easy never comes to my mind if I think about City. Not at all. I know everybody is looking at their results and I have seen them as well, but if you face them - and that’s what we do - you analyse it and I have seen, for example, against Brighton they were 1-0 up and could have scored for two- or three-nil, didn’t, and then were beaten 2-1.

Against Tottenham after 20 minutes they could have been two or three goals up, [but] weren’t. And against Feyenoord, that has not happened many times - they were 3-0 up, completely dominating the game and all of a sudden, in the end it was 3-3. They are still a very, very, very good team and one of the reasons I think Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the world - or one of the best, but I think the best - is that he always comes up with solutions for his problems. His problem now might be that Rodri is out but we all know, at least I think, that he will come with a solution and their run of form will go up again - hopefully after Sunday.

On focusing on using the Anfield atmosphere in the ‘right way’ after three bookings against Real Madrid...

Especially if you have a yellow then you have to watch out for the next one, but I think one of the three was Ryan Gravenberch, who made only a simple tackle, or not for a yellow, but then he did this [made a gesture] and the referees are quite keen on giving a yellow for that. And the first two fouls we made, he also gave a yellow. I think [in] these games you have to be on top of your game in every aspect, so you have to play fair and [have] good duels and sometimes that can lead to a yellow card, but then if you have received one you have to be smart.

That’s what I saw with Ryan and that’s what I saw with Darwin [Nunez] as well, because the one Darwin conceded was also in the set-piece and they were struggling a bit and the referee found it necessary to give yellow cards. We have to be on top of our game, we have to be aggressive, but always in a good way. But maybe Curtis [Jones, with his calming gesture] meant, I don’t know, we have to ask him, but it’s not only without the ball but it’s with the ball being a bit more calm and using your head a bit more, because that’s what we did in the second half even better than the first, which led to two goals.

On whether he thinks Liverpool’s injuries have been ‘underplayed’ this season...

I think in general people only talk about injuries if the results are not there, so it’s a good thing that nobody talked about our injuries. That means that we got our results in. But the moment you start to lose, it’s about a kick-off time on a Saturday afternoon or it’s about injuries or we always come up with certain ideas why, especially me, we didn’t win. But nine out of 10 times it’s about the quality of the players from the other team or their game plan.

We do have some very important players for us being injured but if the replacements do so well it's normal that people don't talk about it that much. It is true that missing Alisson, which has been a starter for this club and been so important for this club for so long, missing Diogo Jota [and] missing Trent in the last two games - those are players that have had impact a lot on the results in recent years. But it’s a good thing we don’t talk about it.

On Caoimhin Kelleher’s future, with Alisson Becker set to return soon...

I am expecting every player wants to be the No.1, not only in the goalkeeper position, but in every position. It’s always up to the player if he can accept his role. At this moment Caoimhin has accepted his role from the start of the season until now in a great manner, when he didn’t play but also when he did play, so it’s far too early to talk about what can happen next season. I want every player that they want to play every game. It would be completely wrong if he would’ve come over to me and said, ‘I like it that I’m on the bench today.’ That’s completely normal with him and all the others. But then it’s always about the attitude if you don’t play and that has been outstanding.

For example, from Lucho [Luis Diaz] and Macca [Alexis Mac Allister] last Sunday when they weren’t selected in the first XI and then they come in really strong. Yesterday I saw the same again with Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo. They should have the eagerness to play but if they don’t, they have to act in a normal way and that’s what they all do at the moment.

On what Liverpool are doing so well to not concede late goals compared to City’s recent run...

Not playing Tottenham yet! They are a very good team as well, a great playing style. No, it always depends on the circumstances. Them conceding three against Feyenoord probably had a lot to do with the substitutions they made and being extremely unlucky. If you saw the first goal and the second goal. The second goal, the goalkeeper hit the ball towards the post and then it fell to Santiago Gimenez. During a season these things can happen to every team, that’s the same with injuries. We’ve seen this at Arsenal with [Martin] Odegaard being out. That didn’t help them. With Rodri being out it didn’t help City.

I’m hoping we are not facing those same problems but if it does [happen] then we have to make sure it doesn’t hurt us that much. It’s always difficult for every manager everywhere around the world if one of your star players is injured. When it comes to goals conceded it’s always the circumstances of being 2-0 down and then maybe taking a lot of risk. Then conceding is different to than being 1-0 up and trying to keep a clean sheet.

On whether he expects Guardiola to alter his system to combat the loss of Rodri...

That’s what I just said, I wouldn’t be surprised if he came up with another brilliant idea. I think he was the one who started playing the inverted full-back. Then he was the one who started to play a centre-back as a number six. I don’t think it’s a surprise for anyone if he again comes up with something no-one has ever thought about before to make his team even stronger. That’s probably one of the reasons he inspired so many managers around the world with all these [things].

When he came up with it, we all thought he was crazy and then he did it and we all thought, ‘OK, let’s try to do the same because it’s a brilliant idea’. I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes up with something new again, but let’s wait and see because many things have been done in football now. If there is anyone in this managerial world that can come up with something new, it’s definitely him.