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Liverpool head coach Arne Slot said he was pleased with his side's fightback in the 3-1 win over Yokohama F.Marinos on Wednesday, as the Reds overcame a one-goal deficit to end the brief summer tour of Asia with a victory.
Florian Wirtz grabbed his first goal for the club to get Liverpool back on level terms in the 62nd minute, before youngsters Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni both netted after coming off the bench.
After the game, the Dutchman reflected on the team's performance, praised Liverpool's two teenage goalscorers, discussed the vice-captain situation, and gave his view on the season ahead. Here's every word he had to say in Tokyo...
Liverpool performance: "A good game against an opponent that is already in the middle of the season [and] used to the circumstances over here. They made it an intense game for us, which is always nice to have in pre-season because this is also what we're looking for. We want to have teams that can really compete with us, and today was definitely one of them. I've seen a few very positive things. For example, us coming back after going 1-0 down, this is something that we did last season a lot of times; seeing players from the bench impacting the game.
"So, more than a few times there were some very good moments in build-up, but what I also saw in the goal we conceded and in the first half the big chance we conceded was that we had to work harder in those moments to sprint back than we did. That is something that also happened to us when we played [AC] Milan. It could be with a tough training camp and it could be with the heat circumstances – but that's something that we definitely have to improve towards [Athletic] Bilbao that we're going to play as our next opponent."
Ngumoha performance: "Like I said, he wasn't the only one that impacted the game from the bench because Trey Nyoni, also a youngster, scored [and was] assisted by Jeremie Frimpong. In the first goal, I think Curtis Jones played a big part by winning the ball in the midfield. Rio again showed the quality he has and that's nice for us because we have a lot of very good players.
"But to get some very good players through the academy is always helpful and always gives energy to a team as well. It's always nice to see young players from 16, 17 or 18 years old already impacting a game. There was also a moment in the game where he should have squared it to Macca [Alexis Mac Allister] or Curtis. So, [there were] also learning parts for him. If you are 16 and you can impact the game like he did, that's definitely worth a compliment."
Vice-captain: "The group doesn't know yet. I did talk to the individuals already, so the one that's going to be vice-captain already knows. Everybody likes to have leaders in the team, and in modern football you don't see that that much anymore. I have the privilege that I have a few of them, so experienced players that are not only experienced but understand the game and can be a voice inside the group and during the game. So, that's always very helpful.
"It's difficult to say but we are now at the beginning of August, so there's a month to go. So many things can happen in football in a month, so let's wait and see. First, we go back home and then we're going to play at Anfield next week. Although I liked it a lot over here, the respect of the fans, the way they treated us, how many there were, but I can tell you that Anfield has a better pitch than the last two pitches we've played [on]."
Wataru Endo: "The reason why I brought Wataru Endo in just before the rest is that I think he deserved that more than everyone else, I would almost say, for the role he played last season in us winning the league. I know that everybody was talking about Mo Salah, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Virgil van Dijk – who else do I forget? All these great players that scored so many goals. But what no-one probably ever saw was how well the players that didn't play all the time accepted their role. Wata was probably the best example of that.
"No matter how many minutes we needed him – one, two, three, four, five, 10, 15 – he was always there for the team, and that is a very important reason for us winning the league last season. He totally deserved to get the credit from the Japanese fans today. If I helped him a little bit by giving him the captain's armband then that's nice because he totally deserves this."
Reflecting on success: "I'm also focused on that but I'm definitely aware of what we've achieved. But I had quite a long holiday, I think it was five or six weeks and because we won the league quite early, I could enjoy it for quite a long time. But I think the moment we started again, that was also the moment – you guys can still enjoy it – but we now need to prepare ourselves for the upcoming season. Therefore, there are no moments to enjoy what we did last season. So, our full focus is now on this season and how we, I need to prepare the players for another tough season.
"Because I thought last season was already tough but if you look at what all the Premier League teams are doing, the Premier League is even going to get stronger than last season. We need to be ready for that – that's where my full focus is on at the moment, over the last few weeks. We are making steps forward but I also didn't forget that last season I went to Wembley, having to look at Newcastle lifting a trophy, and in two weeks we go there again. So, I hope we show a different face in that final, Community Shield, than we did in the League Cup final."
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