Q&AEvery word from Arne Slot's pre-Bournemouth press conference

The Reds boss took questions from reporters at the AXA Training Centre to discuss his squad's fixture against the Cherries at Anfield in the Premier League.

Liverpool return to domestic action following the midweek Champions League victory at AC Milan, with the contest in L4 set for a 3pm BST kick-off on Saturday.

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

On whether tiredness was a factor in the loss to Nottingham Forest...

I don't think that was the main issue, if it was even an issue, because two or three days later we had to play Milan again. You would still expect players to be tired, or maybe even more tired, and we came up with a real strong performance. For me, and I said this a few times before, we have to give credit to what Nottingham Forest did. They made it really hard for us, really difficult for us, and that's always the main resistance. [It's] the team you face and not the amount of games you play or other things. It's always about the resistance the other team gives you.

On Darwin Nunez and what he needs to show to 'earn an opportunity'...

Same like all the others. Work really hard and then the goals will come. I think that's also what he did when he came in against AC Milan. First of all you come in for the team and then as a result of that attackers score goals or assist and that's also what happened to Cody [Gakpo]. But it happened before with Lucho [Luis Diaz] and with Mo [Salah] and with Diogo [Jota]. If you play in a team like Liverpool you will always score your goals or get your assists. But for me it's mainly about the work we do without the ball and that they can score goals and assist I know. That's the same with Darwin. He will get his chance in the near future. We play a lot of games and I think he's fitter and fitter now [and] understands day by day better what we expect from him. But [he's] in competition with Diogo, who in my and our opinion has done really well in the last games.

On whether he has had to build up Nunez's confidence...

No, I think he came back with a lot of confidence from the Copa America. [He] scored some good goals. Darwin always has confidence and he has every right to have this confidence because everywhere he played he always scored goals. As a striker sometimes you have a few games that you don't score and then all of a sudden you score a lot. As long as he brings his work-rate in for the team and we bring him enough in positions I'm 100 per cent sure he or Diogo or one of the others will score goals.

On what he expects from Bournemouth...

They started off quite well with a win against our neighbours. That caught the eye the most of course because they were 2-0 down so late in the game. I think [Andoni] Iraola has done a tremendous job over there. [He] plays some nice football to watch, develops players, has a nice playing style, so all credit for him but hopefully we can manage to do better against Bournemouth tomorrow than we did against Nottingham Forest last week.

On what his memories are of working with players Luis Sinisterra and Marcos Senesi...

[I have] only positive memories of course – except for one moment. We had a great season. We reached the final of the Conference League with these two players. They were really important for our team then as well. Unfortunately we lost the final. So, that's the only bad memory I have when it comes to that season and to the players that played in that team. Luis Sinisterra is a winger that I like because he dominates one-v-one [and] can score a goal. Marcos Senesi has always had a lot of impact at Feyenoord and also in the one season he worked with me.

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On what qualities Bournemouth possess...

They were aggressive last season [at Anfield]. I saw this because I saw parts of the game yesterday. They were really aggressive, [had a] high press and made it really difficult for Liverpool to get the ball forward to the forwards as well. [They] scored a goal by a high press, I think they took the ball off Trent [Alexander-Arnold] and scored. That's the style they usually play so it's also what we expect from them tomorrow. They have a lot of individual quality as well because I think Andoni did a great job over there but I think the sporting director [Richard Hughes] that worked there for so many years did a very good job as well. Maybe because of that Liverpool tried to take him from them because he brought in some really good and talented players. Marcos and Luis are two examples but I can tell you more if you want me to.

On his relationship with sporting director Richard Hughes...

It's been good from the start and like with all the others you work with it only develops if you work longer with each other [and] if you get to know each other better. He gets to know my ideas about football even better. He already knew them really, really, really well. That was also why I wanted to join Liverpool because he knew more about me than only results. I get to know him day by day even better. Our work relationship is really good as well as how we get along off the pitch.

On whether the win at AC Milan is evidence that his squad are understanding more what he wants from them...

That evidence I think they've showed for many games except for this one game which you just mentioned before [against] Nottingham Forest. But the pre-season and all the games we've played in the season until now I think they showed their quality and how well we can play. For me it was not only about bouncing back after the loss against Nottingham Forest, it was also the last two years how we performed in Europe. We had some difficulties in the Champions League two years ago and last season when Atalanta came it was also a difficult moment.

So, I think we had a point to prove and the standards were set really high by so many Liverpool teams, but also by a few that are still playing in this team and we have to try to get back to those standards in this season. We made a good step against AC Milan. I think if you can play an away game in San Siro, the first game, not the result but the way we played, that shows that we are a very difficult team to beat but that we can also play really good football – dominating football – in another stadium than Anfield.

On whether he thinks his players have 'learned their lessons' from the Nottingham Forest defeat...

There were more things that we weren't happy [with] than in all the other games I just mentioned that we've played until now. Actually I prefer to play against a low block because you have the ball a lot and the other team is far away from your goal. Normally with all the quality we have, if you have the ball so many times, I think we had 70 per cent ball possession in and around their 18-yard box, then you would expect us to create a lot with the quality we have. I think we haven't faced that a lot until now so it was a good moment to reflect and to see what can we do better. Although it sounds simple, but if every player plays five per cent better than against Nottingham Forest, which is not that difficult to be honest, then that will make a massive change already apart from us doing certain things better and certain positioning or certain runs [that] we have to improve.

On how he has adjusted to the 'busy' English schedule...

I don't know if you know but in Holland we also have Eredivisie so we also play games in the weekends! We also play Champions League or Europa League so we also play during the week. There's only one difference and that's the upcoming week when we play the League Cup. So until now I haven't seen anything different than what I was used to at my former clubs. But the Premier League has four extra games compared to Eredivisie and the League Cup. That's the main difference. But from the start until now I think we've played just as many games as my former club. So that's not an issue for me.

But the main difference between the Premier League and every other league in Europe is that we have to play during Christmas and New Year. I think at those moments that's the biggest difference between this league and all the other leagues. AC Milan has to play the weekend, they had to play on Tuesday and they will play during the weekend also again. But that's probably what you mean, the strength of the league, the quality of the league. The quality of Nottingham Forest or Bournemouth is much, much higher than if you play an Eredivisie game against a team that doesn't play for the top six positions, so this is where it makes a difference.

On whether he's planning for the rest of the season with his team selections...

We think about this but [a lot] goes into making a line-up, not only long-term planning [but] short-term planning, how fit are they, what does the opponent do [and] what is the form of our players. You are aware of the fact that it's going to be a long season and we need a lot of players, so if you need a lot of players then they also need some playing time once in a while, so we are aware of that. That's also what we are taking into account when we make a line-up, but it's not the only thing – it's not the only thing we are taking into account.

On what a goalkeeper needs to do in his team, beyond saves...

Catching crosses! Which, in my opinion, is a really important one as well. Playing out from the back is something he needs to do if the other team presses us really high, but has to make the right choices because if we are one-v-one, which for example against Sevilla that happened a few times, then he has to understand that he has to play the long balls. He is part of build-up but his main focus is, of course, on saving balls and catching the crosses to prevent the other team from scoring, which we as a team and he [Alisson Becker] as an individual have done quite well [when you] look at the fact we only conceded two goals in five games.

On whether Cody Gakpo's performance against Milan was 'the benchmark' for how to react to not starting...

His game might have come from anger, but I don't think you need anger to play in the best possible way. Every time you play, if you play every week or you play once in a while, you have to give it your best. I think he benefits from two things, apart from anger – that is his own quality, we know how special of a player he is, and he benefits from players around him, the team and the structure, the moment when he gets the ball and that he gets the ball when he is in the right positions. That made for him a great performance, but the one he is in competition with has some good performances as well, so that is what I mean with it's all about the team. These players that all play for Liverpool all have a lot of quality – there is not one player that doesn't have quality – so if they can show up, if that comes from anger or not, just work hard and the team and individual quality will lead to good performances.

On whether there 'is a need for the fans to stay patient' when Liverpool are trying to break down a team at Anfield...

My only protestation was about how we played. I think we as a team and as players have to be aware of the fact that fans need something to get behind the team. I don't think we did this enough [against Forest] and the only thing I can ask the fans is if we don't show up enough, maybe they can help us to say, OK, it looks like it's not the day of the players today, so let's help them by singing, cheering or whatever they can come up with. But I like to look at ourselves, we have to do better and if we do better I think the fans will enjoy what they will see and they will be behind the team. It starts with us doing better tomorrow, but maybe if we don't – which I am not expecting or hoping for – maybe the fans can give us this extra push by showing what it needs for us to win the game.

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