Written by Priya Kaur
Ahead of Liverpool’s first official game of the season, against newly promoted Ipswich Town, new manager Arne Slot addressed the media in a pre-match press conference.
Slot discussed various topics including the team’s readiness, transfer market activity, key player roles and the expectations for the season ahead.
The new Reds’ Head Coach acknowledged his disappointment over not securing Zubimendi but emphasised the difficulty of finding players to strengthen an already strong squad.
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He mentioned the efforts to add to the team saying:
“Our squad is really strong; it’s not easy to find players to strengthen it. We’re in a good place and Richard is trying hard to get things done.”
Responding to the concerns about the lack of new signings, the Dutchman made his opinion known by saying:
“I don’t understand the argument that you become weaker without new signings. At the training ground, we focus on improving players.
“But bringing in new players isn’t always the solution; it can affect the group’s energy. Richard and I are trying to strengthen the squad, but my main focus is Ipswich.”
Reflecting on the squad’s position, Slot stated, “Jurgen left the team in a good place, and we are trying to build from there. There are a lot of strong teams, but we are looking forward to the challenge.”
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The manager quickly put an end to the speculation surrounding the contracts of Trent, Van Dijk and Salah by stating: “I don’t think this is the place to talk about contracts, but I can assure you they are in the squad tomorrow.”
On preparing for a team that hasn’t been in the Premier League for 22 years, Slot remarked, “It’s not harder than preparing for a team that has been in the Premier League for 22 years! We’ve watched their matches and Ipswich will be looking forward to it, but so will we.”
Arne discussed the adaptation of his first-team squad to his methods: “In pre-season everyone is positive. We’re not changing everything because many things are already good. We’re ready for tomorrow…
There are still a lot of things to improve, and I’ll say the same even if I’m here for several years because perfection is impossible.”
Slot didn’t give too much of the game away when he discussed Trent, stating that “Trent is known for playing as a right fullback but he’s also capable in midfield. It’s up to me to decide where he can help the team the most.”
Arne Slot Pre-Match Press Conference | Ipswich Town v Liverpool
Addressing the elephant in the room, the Luis Diaz speculation, Slot reaffirmed his importance to the team: “There’s always speculation, but his future is with us. I liked what I saw in the last ten days, and I’m hoping he will have a big impact this season.”
Adding to the excitement of us Reds, Slot confirmed that the entire squad is fit and available for the weekend’s game.
And last, but certainly not least, Darwin Nunez.
On his potential, Slot said “The key is to bring him into scoring positions. Every individual benefits from team performance, and if we put our attackers in dangerous spots, they’ll score. That’s what we’ve seen in preseason, and Darwin, like the others, will score.”
