Liverpool boss Arne Slot on his hopes to win the Premier League title in front of their own fans when they face Tottenham needing just 1 point at Anfield on Sunday
Melwood, Liverpool, UK
Melwood, Liverpool, UK
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00:00First of all, what was it like watching the Arsenal Palace game all together the other night?
00:14Different, because normally if you watch a game of football, you're either alone with your family or family.
00:20Now we've watched it all together, and it was a game that had a surprise.
00:30Before the game I was surprised that it ended in a draw,
00:33during the game I wasn't that surprised, because Palace again showed what this league is all about.
00:39Very good performance as a team, and also a few very good individual performances.
00:45In the end, maybe not a surprising result before the game, I didn't expect it to end in a draw.
00:52It means you just need a point now to clinch the Premier League title,
00:55so how do you feel about that opportunity to do that in front of your home fans as well?
01:00First of all, that's a big responsibility,
01:03because we are aware of the fact that the last time this club won the league it was Covid time,
01:11so everybody is looking forward to Sunday.
01:14But we know that there's still a job to be done, and that's at least one point,
01:19and that's what we know and hopefully our fans know as well when they come to the stadium,
01:25that they support us in the best possible way they can, which they've done the whole season,
01:30and are aware of the fact that we still need a point,
01:34and that's something we are definitely aware of here inside this building.
01:39So it's a nice game to look forward to, but it's also a responsibility we have for Sunday.
01:45With that as well, how prepared are you for the emotion of the occasion?
01:48Because as you say, it is very different to the last time the club on the Premier League title,
01:52with everyone together.
01:54Yeah, but first a game to be played against the Tottenham side,
01:59that is playing for something special as well,
02:03maybe not in the league but definitely in the Europa League,
02:05so they want to go towards Bordeaux in the best prepared possible way.
02:10So, yeah, we are only focused on, like I've said so many times,
02:16on the next opponent, and that is Tottenham now,
02:20so we will try to prepare the team the same way as we've done the whole season,
02:25and hopefully the team, the players, can bring the same energy,
02:29the same mentality towards the game as they've brought throughout the whole season,
02:33and the fans, we are expecting from them the same.
02:36Good luck. Thank you.
02:39We're surrounded by history here,
02:41and I know you've mentioned that you've not thought about that yet,
02:45but there's only 11 managers who have ever won the Premier League title,
02:49you're about to become number 12,
02:51and the first Dutchman ever to do it as well.
02:53Have you given yourself any opportunity yet
02:56about what that would mean to be in those echelons?
03:00No, I get these questions, so then it comes to your mind of course,
03:05but that's the last thing you think about as a manager at this particular moment of time.
03:10The only thing I think about is hopefully they are all available, the players,
03:16and then prepare them, because I saw during the week again,
03:20I noticed last week how hard it was to win a game of football against a team
03:24that was relegated, not officially, but close to that because of the goal difference.
03:31And still it was hard to get the win over the line,
03:35so I'm not getting carried away at all.
03:37I know we've faced Tottenham already three times,
03:40so I know how hard it is to beat them for us,
03:43and that's where my main focus is on.
03:47You talked about surprises in the game that you watched on from Wednesday night,
03:50you said this is the fourth time now this season,
03:52can there be any more surprises?
03:54Are there things that you can take from the three games that you played against Spurs so far this season?
03:59You can always be surprised by the game plan of a manager,
04:06but in the end of the season every team played so many games
04:12and it would be a bit weird to change your playing style at the end of the season,
04:16but during the season this can happen a bit more.
04:18I think Tottenham knows the way we play, we know the way they play,
04:22but you can always adjust some details,
04:24but I think the big picture is clear for Ainge and for me as well, what we can expect.
04:36Many people are saying this is more of an achievement what you've done,
04:39because you've inherited this squad.
04:41I just wondered what you thought of that and also when you came in,
04:44did you really think this was possible in your first season?
04:47Nah, I've said many times if you come in you don't in the first days you were here,
04:52you just first of all look around you, how the training ground looks like,
04:56and then you start to work with your players.
04:58Then you are trying to create your playing style across,
05:01which we already knew we wouldn't change that much,
05:04but when players come back from holidays,
05:06when they've played at the national team sometime,
05:08you need to refresh them a bit, what is expected over here.
05:12Then if you walk through this door, if you walk in here or at Anfields,
05:16you know the expectations, you know the expectations are that this club has to win trophies,
05:23and that doesn't change when I walk through that door.
05:28The good thing is, I said it a few times before,
05:32that most managers work here for a long time,
05:34so you have a lot of chances to win something.
05:36So you're aware of that, but that's not the first thing you think about when you walk through this door.
05:43What would you say to those who say the Premier League hasn't been as strong this season as in recent years?
05:53That everybody can have his own opinion.
05:56And the nice thing in life is that if you have your opinion,
05:59or in the parts of the world where we live in,
06:01if you have your opinion you can share with everyone,
06:03and that's a very positive thing to have in a country,
06:06that everyone can have his opinion.
06:08Yeah, as long as that opinion comes from his idea and not from another reason,
06:15but you might have a different opinion,
06:18that's the nice thing about the world we are living in,
06:22that everybody can have his opinion.
06:24What's your opinion on that?
06:26Difficult, because I'm only here for a year,
06:28so I can only tell you what I've experienced this season,
06:31and I think it's never been as exciting for top four, top five finish,
06:39because in all the years before it was quite clear which clubs would probably get the first three or four positions.
06:47It's never been as hard to end up top four, top five in the Premier League.
06:51So yeah, that in my opinion is a real difficult league,
06:57because that's what I've experienced over here,
07:00it's never been an easy game,
07:01it's always been very hard to win a game of football,
07:04but maybe that tells you something about us.
07:07Although we're not the only team in this league who finds it hard to win a game of football by a margin of three or four goals,
07:16and that was maybe easier two, three, four, five years ago.
07:20So either the teams are not so good anymore, the Liverpool, the City and the Arsenal,
07:25or we are still very good but the other teams have the funds to spend just as much,
07:32or in some situations even more, than Arsenal, City and Liverpool.
07:37The fans are obviously planning a big party on Sunday.
07:46I'm just wondering if you would be able to enjoy the game?
07:50I enjoy to go to Anfield every single day,
07:55but the moment the referee blows his whistle,
07:57and even before then when I do my meetings,
07:59it's of course the focus is on trying to get the point or the win over the line.
08:06We're only settling for a win, and the point is not enough.
08:10So the moment you enjoy is mostly when the referee blows his whistle,
08:14these are the three, four or five minutes that you're really happy when you walk off the pitch,
08:18then you walk into a dressing room where you always see one or two players
08:21that are not as happy as I am because they haven't played,
08:24so then already you start to think,
08:26OK, this has to be managed again as well, so then I need to go to the media.
08:30So it's mostly three or five minutes that you're really happy,
08:33and then normal managerial life starts again.
08:39So, yeah, enjoying is what you do after the referee has blown his whistle.
08:44I hope often that if you win you'll allow yourself more than three or four minutes to enjoy Anfield.
08:51That means that it's going to take a while before I go to the media.
08:55That depends, of course, on the upcoming two sessions,
08:57but he was getting closer and closer to 90 minutes.
08:59I think the first and the second one were the best of that,
09:02but we're going to have to go to the next one.
09:03If you're on the next one, we're going to have to go to the next one.
09:05OK.
09:06Hi Arne, I wanted to ask about Conor Bradley.
09:08First of all, is he fit enough to play 90 minutes?
09:11I know he's just coming back from injury in the last couple of games,
09:13he hasn't managed a full 90.
09:15Is he fit enough now to play if need be?
09:18That depends, of course, on the upcoming two sessions,
09:21but he was getting closer and closer to 90 minutes.
09:25I think the first and the second one were approximately the same amount of minutes,
09:31and it's normal if you've played twice around 70 minutes,
09:34then the chance of you being able to play 90 is getting closer and closer,
09:38but we're also taking very good care of him because he had two injuries that were similar.
09:45So, yeah, let's wait and see how he does today and tomorrow,
09:50if he's able to play and if he's able to play, if he can make a 90.
09:56Also, I mean, he's done so well in his early Premier League career,
10:00it's easy to forget he's only played 26 games.
10:03I think he's only able to play full 90 on three occasions.
10:06OK.
10:07With the rest of the season to come,
10:09thinking about some of the left-wingers,
10:10obviously Spurs have got the likes of Vishal, some Matisse Tell,
10:13then you've got Potoma, Martinelli, Pedro Neto,
10:17how key for his development is it for him to be able to face some of those really good Premier League players,
10:23and maybe play some more full 90s between now and the end of the season?
10:27It's going to be very important for him to become an even better player than he is now,
10:33to play many games in a row.
10:36Unfortunately for him, there's also another full-back who is world-class at this club as well,
10:44with Trent Alexander-Arnold,
10:46so that is probably the only reason why he hasn't played back-to-back games yet,
10:51because he definitely has the quality to do so,
10:54and I think that is the next step for him in his development,
10:57is to play every single week and feeling that pressure,
11:00and at a certain moment probably that doesn't feel as pressure anymore.
11:05That might be his next step, but as long as Trent is here,
11:10it's going to be a difficult step for him to make as well,
11:13but they are both very good full-backs.
11:17There were stories in Portugal earlier on this week that if Darwin Nunes plays
11:23and starts another game it would trigger a clause,
11:26I think it's €5 million Liverpool would have to pay Benfica,
11:30is there any financial element in your thinking,
11:33or is it purely a footballing decision when it comes to picking the team for the rest of the season?
11:39Do you always believe what journalists say?
11:42Not always.
11:43Not always.
11:44Me neither.
11:45Sometimes you should,
11:46but sometimes it's better not to believe everything that is written about players.
11:52So it's completely new to me,
11:54and I've said many times that I'm working at a club here where it's really nice to work,
12:01so mainly sports directors are judged by the players they bring in.
12:04For me it's very important to have a great working environment,
12:08and I have that with Richard.
12:11So the last, last, last, last thing he would do, as I expect working with him for ten months,
12:19is tell me if you play him it would cost us this much,
12:22and that he would never, never, never do.
12:26So I don't even think if it's true or yes or no, because we never talk about that.
12:30He never interferes with a line-up.
12:32So it might be true, but if a journalist says it, we have to balance this if it's true or not.
12:45No, you know what I mean.
12:47Can I just ask on Joe Gomez, where is he up to, and do you think he could still play again this season?
12:53If his recovery goes well he would be able to maybe in the last one or two games of the season,
13:00but he's still not training with us yet.
13:02But he's coming closer and closer to training with the team,
13:05but then he's been out for a long time,
13:07so we're not just discussing Conor Bradley,
13:10it took him a while before he could even come in or let alone start.
13:14So I think he will be available in the last one, two or three games,
13:22if his recovery goes the way as planned.
13:29You're welcome.