Liverpool boss Arne Slot reacts to their surprise 2-1 defeat to Chelsea which boosts the Blues hopes of Champions League qualification
Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Arno, what was your take on the game?
00:03Nothing good comes from losing a game of football.
00:10But if I have to take the positives, there were definitely a few positives.
00:14Dominating ball possession at Stamford Bridge is not what many teams do over here,
00:18because Chelsea is so comfortable with the ball as well.
00:22Being 2-0 down, don't give up.
00:25Try to fight yourself back into the game, that's what we did.
00:29We got already two big chances which we didn't score then.
00:31Chelsea was on the counter-attack a few times, very threatening.
00:35And then when we scored the 2-1, you were like, hmm, let's see if there's something in it.
00:39But I don't think there was a moment where we were close to scoring a goal
00:43and in the end a correct penalty being given and Chelsea won 3-1.
00:48So maybe the opposite from the home game where they dominated position and we won.
00:54Now it was the opposite.
00:57The difference Dominic made when he came on, sometimes it feels like your pressing relies on him.
01:04Do you think in hindsight that perhaps it was the midfielder you lost the game in the end?
01:09Because I feel like how he struggled in the game.
01:11No, it's never about one player.
01:13But one of the qualities Dom definitely has is the intensity he presses with.
01:20So you can come up with all the tactics in the world,
01:24but it's always the intensity of the press that makes the difference.
01:27It doesn't matter what I come up with, but if we are intense,
01:30it's so difficult to play through us.
01:32And one of the qualities Dominic has is definitely the pressing part,
01:36and that's why he played so much this season as well.
01:39I want to know, why did Federico Chiesa not get more minutes
01:43and have you seen your plans going forward?
01:45Because I decided to bring other players in first,
01:51because I already brought Darwin in, so that wasn't the position I could bring him in.
01:57Then Cody Kakpo, I liked him a lot today, played a really good game,
02:01and I've changed him, took him out in the last few weeks many times already.
02:05And Mo is always a player that can score a goal,
02:08so that's why I first made different substitutions.
02:12And in the end, I would almost say, like people expect from me over here,
02:16is that we take an extra risk, so get a defender out, bring Federico in.
02:21That also led to us scoring a goal, but not enough time left for him to make a difference, unfortunately.
02:27Did any impact on already being champions or rotating your team affect your performance?
02:33Did you think that had an impact?
02:35That we will never know, but I think what we also saw today,
02:38a lot of things that we've seen throughout the whole season,
02:41us playing through the high press of the opponents so many times,
02:46so many moments that we arrived in the final third.
02:49But I also saw us defending today, not that I'm used to that always,
02:54so the last percentages over there were not over normal standards.
02:58And in the final third, if we come there so many times,
03:03normally we are able to create more chances.
03:06So that could mean two things, either Chelsea did well in both boxes,
03:09which they did, but I think it tells us also a little bit about us.
03:13So in general, good performance, but the final percentages weren't there to win this game of football.
03:20The lead-up to both goals, a player of us slipped.
03:23So yeah, would that have happened as well if the game was on the line?
03:28Yes or no, we will never know.
03:30But the margins are small in the Premier League, especially if you play a team like Chelsea
03:34with so many quality players, then you cannot afford these kind of moments.
03:42Arno, you got the guard of honour from Chelsea, but their fans did seem so impressed,
03:46there was a bit of booing, wasn't it? Was that disappointing from your point of view?
03:49They didn't like their team then, or what? They didn't like their team? They booed for their team?
03:53No, I think they were booing for us.
03:55They were booing for us. I didn't hear it, to be honest.
03:59I only heard our fans during almost the whole game,
04:02and I just heard that they couldn't come here with trains, so they had to go by car.
04:06But they were in time, and they were loud throughout the whole game.
04:10So I haven't heard anyone booing, I've only heard our fans singing.
04:14Arno, congratulations, you've won the league.
04:17What have you and your players learned over the season
04:20that you can take forward to next year and possibly into Europe and win something there?
04:24The margins are small, and that's been throughout the whole season
04:29in the games we've won, and today again as well.
04:32So you slip twice, you can see two goals.
04:35Paris Saint-Germain, an incredible game, maybe the best game of our season at home,
04:39where we dominated the second half, we were just waiting for us to score a goal,
04:42which we didn't. Then, because players got tired, I had to make quite a lot of substitutions.
04:47We were lucky to end up taking the penalties, and yeah, talking about small margins,
04:53losing the penalty shootout, and they are now in the semi-final, we are out.
04:58So, yes, we all have quality players, Chelsea has them, City has them, Arsenal has them,
05:03Villa has them, City, do I forget a few up there? We have so many in this league.
05:10And we have them as well, but the margins are small, and that's why you have to work so hard every three days
05:18to get so many points on board, and that's what we did this season,
05:22and if we want to have any chance of competing next season, that's the minimum we need again.
05:27I'm just asking Chelsea a threat for next season, do you think?
05:31I expected them to be a threat this season, because they were at Anfield, they were better than us,
05:37they were so close to us, so it was a complete surprise to me that we are now 18 points clear of them,
05:43something like that. I didn't feel that at all coming when we played them.
05:48So that tells you how well we did, probably, if a team like this, with so much quality,
05:55and also not only in the first 11 but in the complete squad,
05:58we are able to be 18 points ahead of them, is a big compliment for our players.