Liverpool will host Brighton at Anfield in this round of the Premier League. Liverpool manager Arne Slot attended the pre-match press conference ahead of the clash with Brighton.
On Alisson’s situation
Q: What’s the update on Alisson?“Having any player available—let alone one as good as him—is a big help, but Giorgi has been excellent. I don’t think either of them has had to work too hard, because we’ve barely given opponents any chances. We’ve conceded almost nothing in the last four games.Mamardashvili has done well, but it’s great to have Alisson back.”
On the team’s injury situation
Q: Can I ask about the team’s injury situation?“Federico Chiesa will train today—I think he’s ready to go.”
Q: What about Wataru Endo and Cody Gakpo?“It’ll be a few weeks before they’re back. Cody has a muscle strain, and Endo has an ankle injury.”
On Liverpool’s home form this season
Q: What do you think of Liverpool’s home form this season?“I understand why you’d ask that, but I don’t see it that way. We’ve struggled both home and away; we’ve had difficulties a lot of the time. I’ve mentioned the reasons multiple times before.I don’t think home games are the decisive factor in our dropped points. I believe the reasons for our dropped points and losses are the other aspects I’ve talked about earlier.”
On Brighton’s threat
Q: What do you think of Brighton’s threat?“I’ve said this before, and it’s pretty obvious. If you look across the league, things are much simpler. The way the league is played is very different from how Liverpool plays. That’s one thing, and we’re also seeing more specific tactics targeted at us.We have to adapt. We struggled to create many chances against Sunderland.”
On the possibility of playing two strikers
Q: (Question cut off, roughly: Is there a chance Liverpool will play with two strikers?)“We’ve all seen it—it’s normal. The more they play, the more they adapt and the better their chemistry gets.Compared to Inter Milan, I think their two No.9s are more used to playing together in a two-striker system. For us, this was only their second start as a pair, and I think we’ll see more of this combination going forward.Alex (Isak) picked up a minor knock in the first half—we’ll decide if he can start tomorrow.”
On two strikers and long balls against high presses
Q: Do you think playing two strikers against teams like Brighton allows Liverpool to play more long balls to bypass high presses?“I don’t think height determines if a player suits this direct style. Some tall players aren’t good at it, while some shorter ones can dominate games. For Alex and Hugo, instead of playing long balls in front of them, it’s better to have them make runs behind the opposition defenders—that works better.I’ve seen Hugo working harder on this, especially in games like the Brentford one, but like many other aspects of our play, he still has room to improve.”
On squad depth and the Christmas schedule
Q: Do you think Liverpool’s squad depth will help with the upcoming Christmas schedule?“No, I think it’ll help with the fixture schedule over the next few weeks, because the schedule is slightly lighter than it is now.How many teams have played 3 games in 7 days this season? We’ve done it 3 times already this term. Erm, yeah—what can I say? I was almost happy we got knocked out of the League Cup. Think about it: why did I only have 13 non-goalkeeper players with Premier League experience…And after so many games, we’re away to Arsenal on Tuesday. Maybe some people can better understand why I picked the lineup I did against Crystal Palace.It wasn’t good for me personally, but I did it for the team. Sometimes players need rest—like Szoboszlai, Van Dijk, Gravenberch, Konaté; they’ve played far too many games.So the upcoming fixture schedule, with a week between each game, lets players recover from injuries, so we’ll have more options. That’s a good thing for them.”
On Salah being left out of the Champions League squad
Q: Another question about Salah: was it your decision or the higher-ups’ to leave him out of the Champions League squad?“I think it was a collective decision by the club not to take him to Milan, and I was part of that. I’ve been in constant contact with them to discuss the squad and the list—it’s always my call. I talk more with Richard Hughes than Michael Edwards; we’ve discussed a lot of things.”
On wanting Salah to stay
Q: Do you want him to stay?“I’ve said this before—next time I talk about Salah, it’ll be with him. I see no reason not to want him to stay.”
Q: I know you’ve said that, but can I say you still have a relationship with him?“I understand you’re trying hard to make a big story, but this question is really pointless because I’ve said this many times already.”
Q: Given that Liverpool has been unbeaten in four games without Salah, do you think your decision has been somewhat vindicated?“I’ll say this again: Salah has won many games for this club. I think I’ve answered your question.”
On training
Q: (On training)“It’s definitely beneficial. It helps build chemistry, and game time is important, but it’s clear these players have played far too many games—so I don’t think my fitness staff would recommend two training sessions a day. This way, we have more time to prepare for the game.Brighton has had five days to plan their game, and today is the first time we’ve trained since the Inter Milan match. In European football, this shouldn’t be something to complain about, but it’s been our reality over the past few months.”
