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Arne Slot wasn’t short of talking points to discuss on Thursday, ahead of Liverpool’s first away match of the Premier League season.
With just 11 days of the transfer market remaining, the speculation over incomings and outgoings was always going to dominate questions in the pre-match briefing. Given that one of the players Liverpool is chasing just happens to be on strike for Monday’s opponents, the prospect of new signings was bound to be the first question.
Slot didn’t provide much detail on the Reds’ interest in Alexander Isak or Marc Guehi but was more forthcoming on the latest injury news, with updates on three players. He was also asked about how new arrival Giovanni Leoni has settled in and responded to the criticism following the defensive frailties against Bournemouth on Friday. Here’s every word from the Liverpool boss ahead of Monday’s trip to Newcastle United.
Isak & Guehi latest: "What I can tell you is not a lot. If somebody else is going to ask that question, it's going to be the same answer. It's been shown, I could impact the game on Friday with the players we had on the bench. Federico came in and scored a goal, and it would be much nicer to talk about the players we have.
"I understand you have to ask this question, but your superior probably told you, and I know what his answer is going to be."
Newcastle atmosphere and motivation: "Nothing to do with anything that's in the media a lot, but I think if you go to Newcastle, you know what to expect. We've played them three times last season, and twice their intensity levels were above ours. In the away game, especially the first 60 minutes, they were so so so intense. They were fully deserved [of a point].
"In the League Cup final, they were more intense than us as well, so I don't think they need anything to add for them being intense if they play at St. James' Park. Apart from the intensity, it's a very good team; they have also a team that can that can make it a fight.
"They have players for this, but they also have players that are so comfortable on the ball, so one of the best teams in the league. And one of the most difficult away games that you can have in the season, especially, as you say it here, 'Under the lights.'"
Ryan Gravenberch return: "I think a lot. That could help us a lot. If you just simply look at the second goal we conceded, they could just go from one side, from the 18-yard box, to the other side without being attacking, which was smart because Virgil [van Dijk] and Ibou [Konate] needed to go back because it was a four-versus-two situation."
Injury latest: "Conor [Bradley] trained with us for a few minutes today for the first time. The medical team was completely right about Jeremie to take him off because he's out until the end of the international break. That happened in the [Bournemouth] game.
"I think I got criticized for taking him off after the game, didn’t I? And I immediately said after the game that it had nothing to do with how he played, but we felt he had an issue in his hamstring - the medical staff - and they were comletely right to take him off, otherwise he could have been out for longer - and we expect to have him back after the international break."
Leoni settling in: "He is a good-looking guy, as [with] most Italians. He has trained with us three times now, I think. If you look at his transfer fee, you can expect that he is already quite grown up for his age, and that’s exactly what I saw.
"He comes in as an 18-year-old just playing with his new teammates as if he is here for longer. Impressive; if you look at how tall he is, fast, comfortable on the ball. Yeah, there’s a reason why we paid the transfer fee we did, because we see him as a bright prospect.
"He had already three good sessions. It also tells you something about the team. If you come to this club, if you come into this team, you feel at ease from the start because it’s a very good and nice group to start your Liverpool career in."
Right-back concern: "Jeremie [Frimpong] has a very positive injury record. Conor has been out once or twice last season. These things happen in a season. We only have two injuries at the same moment, but they are in the same position.
"Wata [Endo] played in that position for a few minutes, Dominik Szoboszlai played in that position. There are options we can definitely explore. Joe Gomez is definitely one of them, but for him to play 20 minutes [this season] is already quite a lot.
"I wouldn’t say he had a setback, but he wasn't able to train with us three days in a row completely with the team, which is completely normal if you have been out for so long and all of a sudden the manager needs you for 20 minutes.
"He is training with the team, so let’s see where he is on Monday, if he can be involved in the team, or if he can even start. But there are other options. You can't prepare for two injuries in one position - it would be stupid for us to have three full-backs or five right-backs. Although we do have three left-backs at the moment! Maybe it’s unlucky the right-backs are injured."
Chiesa's bigger role: "Yeah, if he's more available, then he has already more chances to impact our results or his playing time. So yeah, but then it's about him staying as fit as he is at the moment.
"So I see a totally different Federico now than through large parts of last season, which is completely normal because he missed out on the whole pre-season, and then comes into a Premier League rhythm in terms of amount of games and in terms of intensity.
"So he's in a much better place now - and as we can all see, when we needed a goal and I looked at the bench, I only had him and Rio [Ngumoha], a 16-year-old, as attacking options. So, yeah, for me, although Rio did really well in pre-seasons, it was quite a normal choice to make to bring him in, and he delivered."
Expecting a busy end to the window: "No, I don’t think so because then I should be unhappy with the squad we are having, and I am very, very happy with the squad we are having. I have always said that maybe having two per position is ideal, but I prefer less than more because you have to disappoint so many players every single time for them not even being in the squad, let alone not playing.
"So I am really happy with the squad, but as always, if we think we can improve in a certain position and there’s a player available that can really make us better, which you could see with Giovanni Leoni, then this club has always shown they will bring these players in. But only if everything is what we want: the right transfer, the right player, the right position, and a player that wants to come to us.”
Ten-day rest: "It is helpful, but we did have a good pre-season; we had six weeks compared to last season, when we only had two. We had six weeks as well, but only two with most of the players, so we've had our time to train already, and I think that is also what you could see in the Bournemouth game, because if you look at the data and running stats, it was the most intense game that was played at the weekend.
"That tells you our match fitness is where we want it to be and where we need it to be if you want to go to Newcastle, by the way. It is also clear in pre-season, I [changed] up line-ups, and then it is normal that you see every time the right connection between some players or some lines. That was already very good against Bilbao and OK-to-good against Palace and Bournemouth.”
Conceding after substitutions: "Most changes I've made in the game are due to match fitness and players who were not available in the whole pre-season. So Hugo Ekitike, for example, that I took off twice needs to make a step from Bundesliga to [the] Premier League and missed out a part of pre-season, and you want to keep him fit for the upcoming games, weeks, months as well.
"It's the same with [Alexis] Mac Allister, who was not able to start, in my opinion, yet against Palace, but I think he needed playing time. It's the same why I started him against Bournemouth. Was he already on the top of his level? No, but to get there he needs playing time. So, I had to take him off. We've just spoken about Jeremie, who comes from a different league.
"So you sometimes need to take this into account, although that's sometimes difficult for a fan or a pundit because they are like, 'You need to win this game.' Yeah, we need to win this game, but we need to keep them fit for the rest of the season as well.
"And we do have players on the bench that are equal to the ones that start, so then you need to use your squad. I see it as a coincidence that we've conceded our goals after the substitutions, but time will tell if I'm right or wrong. But on the other hand, we also scored a goal after a substitution – two, by the way, from Federico and Mo [Salah].”
Newcastle issues: "I don't think they are a club with troubles. They had a very good start to the season against [Aston] Villa, a good game for them. I think they were able to get more out of the game than the one point they got. So, it's mainly difficult because of the players they have there – not only because of the fans, but the atmosphere is great, like it is at Anfield.
"So, we are used to a certain environment, but St. James' Park, if I just remember last season when it was an evening game as well, by the way, the atmosphere was amazing, and it will be the same. But why the atmosphere is amazing [is] because the players can perform, they can add to the atmosphere by being as intense as they were, bringing the quality as they brought in that game. So, that's going to be the challenge.
"The challenge is also playing in a stadium where the fans will be there for the home team, and that always helps every home team. I can tell you about us, so the last 15 to 20 minutes at Anfield, it wasn't a coincidence that we scored twice because the fans helped us in that moment of time. But if you only have fans and you don't have the players then you can forget it.
"The main thing we have to be ready for are their midfielders, their last line, their three forwards, although I assume – I'm not sure but I assume – Isak is not playing from what I read in the media. But they still have Anthony Gordon as a nine, they still have [Anthony] Elanga as a right-winger and [Harvey] Barnes from the left, and then Jacob Murphy isn't even playing, who was very good against us twice last season.
"This is the Premier League, we all have a lot of options and Newcastle have them as well."
Criticism after Bournemouth: "Of course, that has something to do with the bar we've set, and I agree we were at some moments too open. The first goal was, I think, mainly unlucky that we lost the ball in a position we shouldn't lose it, and then we were three against three, which is normally not a problem but we had a disadvantage to our opponent: Ibou and Robbo [Andrew Robertson].
"The second goal is definitely being too open. So if all your three midfielders are inside the box – where we were just talking about Ryan – that's too open, so I agree on that. But also the reason why we scored the 3-2, it was one of our midfielders, Curtis Jones, [who] arrived in the box and made it difficult for the goalkeeper, the ball fell to Federico. So, it's also who we are, but we need to find the right balance by not being too open. But that balance will be better with Ryan.
"Unfortunately, if you want to judge me or us, we now have to play Newcastle and Arsenal, who are normally teams that are going to be above Bournemouth in the league, so it's even harder to play against them. But with Macca [Alexis Mac Allister] being back, with Ryan in his normal position, I expect us to be even better prepared for the counter-attack than we were in this 2-2 moment, because I've watched the game twice back and I don't think – apart from the two goals, especially the second one as a counter-attack – there were many other counter-attacks from Bournemouth.
"But if it leads to a goal, it's of course a big story. For us conceding two, that's too much in a home game, that's too open."
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