Interview'Full of energy' – Arne Slot on pre-season week one, new staff roles and more

An initial group of Reds players began preparations for 2024-25 under the new head coach last Friday, and they were then joined by Wataru Endo and Mohamed Salah in midweek.

With an opening week at the AXA Training Centre now under the squad’s belt, Liverpoolfc.com caught up with Slot to get his thoughts on the work done so far.

Read on for the interview…

Arne, we’re a week into pre-season – how are you enjoying it and what are the key things you’ve been trying to achieve so far?

I’m enjoying it a lot. The pitches are great. The boys are full of energy; Pep [Lijnders] and Jürgen [Klopp] already said to me last season that I’m going to enjoy working with them – and they haven’t lied at all. Full of energy. Also the youngsters coming from the Academy, they have the same intensity and the guys are open to learn. The way I see it, the way I feel is that they enjoy them [the sessions] as well. So, the three most important ingredients.

You already knew a lot about this squad and the quality within it. Are you seeing that on the pitch already?

Yes, I’m seeing it, but the most players that are here at the moment are coming from the U21s and I have to give them a compliment because they are full of energy, like to press, like to counter-press. They have been taught really well. And the ones that are here from the first team are giving the right example to the youngsters, so it has been a joy to work with them in the first week.

We’ve got Wata and Mo back with the squad now. It must be nice to have added them in – what are the plans for them over the next few days and weeks and integrating them in?

Mo came back strong, he was really fit. That’s what I think he always has been but it’s the same this year. What you want from them, like I said, is to set the example for the youngsters as well. For them, it’s very important – just like the other ones from the first team – that they stay fit. They are full of energy and that’s the most important thing at the moment; keep them fit, build it up from there and try to teach them as much as we can.

In terms of your coaching staff, Fabian Otte is now here with the goalkeeping department. How nice is it to have him actually with us after the Copa America?

Yeah, he also had a tournament, he was with the USA team. Unfortunately for him, they went out of the tournament. I gave him a few weeks off but he said he wanted to come as soon as he could. So he is already in now after one week of holiday. That is what you like to see. Having holidays is important as well, but you like to see staff members and players want to come in as early as they can, join the team and help us for hopefully a very good season.

And Aaron Briggs is the fourth new staff member we’ve now confirmed in your team. Could you just tell us what you see his role being and what you’re expecting from him in the set-up?

I don’t know if it’s the exact right word to use in English but most importantly he is finding the bridge between the youth academy and the first team. Doing a lot of one-on-one meetings with the players as well, and of course helping us during the training sessions. He is just a member of our staff, maybe a bit more focused on the players that are in between the U21s and the first team, but he has an analyst background as well as being an assistant coach so we’re going to use him in every department.