Slot on Liverpool 3-0 win at Utd
01/09/2024
Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester, Uk
01/09/2024
Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester, Uk
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00No, I don't. I think everything you want to see as a manager, you saw in this game.
00:06There were difficult moments for us.
00:08I think United started really well, conceded one or two corner kicks in that moment.
00:13But we fought ourselves through those moments.
00:15Then we got a disallowed goal, but there was no negative reaction at all.
00:18We just kept on playing afterwards.
00:20Scoring free, could have scored more.
00:23Two important saves from Ali in the second half, so everything was there.
00:27Maybe the one that was most important was the work rate,
00:30which was incredible by all of them, without the ball.
00:34That makes it a very positive day today.
00:43First three games, nine points, no goals allowed.
00:46Which is the thing you're most proud of?
00:49I normally don't use the word proud.
00:53What I think we did very well in all three games, like I just mentioned,
00:57is the work rate without the ball.
00:59We tried to press the opponent as high as we can,
01:02but if they play through or over or press,
01:04I see everybody working really hard to make sure we don't need Ali.
01:10Sometimes we do, and then it's a good thing that we have a really good goalkeeper.
01:13What impressed me most today was the way we played with the ball,
01:17because I know what we can do without the ball.
01:20But the way we played with the ball was also very good today.
01:39Yeah, it's a lot of ifs, but at this moment he's one of ours,
01:44and I'm really, really happy with him being one of ours.
01:47And he plays really well.
01:50I don't talk about contracts from players,
01:54but I can talk for hours about how Mo played today.
01:57Are you interested in that?
01:59He was impressive, like the first two games as well,
02:03but if we talk about an individual, you don't do justice to all the other ones.
02:07Because I think today you saw a real good team performance,
02:10playing out from the back, high press, midfielders that keep on running.
02:14So, of course, all the attention goes out to Mo and to Lucio,
02:18but that doesn't do justice to the other nine and the ones that came in.
02:37I'm not 100 per cent sure if all the people in the Netherlands agree with you
02:41that it was my biggest game, because Feyenoord-Ajax is also a quite big game.
02:45But I think people all over the world see this as a bigger game than Feyenoord-Ajax.
02:49So it was special to be involved in this game,
02:52and it's only special if you win it, and that's what we did.
02:55Really pleased that we won it, but maybe even more with how we did it today.
03:11How did you carry the pitch?
03:15With the ball, we thought.
03:17When we had ball possession, we were hoping that we could find
03:20every time one of our midfielders open or free.
03:23But again, also these three played a very good game, I agree with you.
03:27But they need their centre-backs to play the ball through the lines,
03:30they need their centre-backs to be close to them for the moments that they cannot arrive,
03:34that then was Ibu there, Virgil was there,
03:36Virgil every time stepped into the midfield, defensively also.
03:40Like I said, it was a team performance, and you know me a bit now,
03:44it's always about the team, and then the individual can show himself.
03:48I think all 11 of them, and the ones that came in, played a very good game.
03:53But that's no coincidence, because the team played really well.
03:58There's obviously been a lot of talk around the holding midfield position,
04:01you went to Zoumendi and didn't go for an alternative.
04:03What is it you've seen in Ryan that convinced you
04:06that you can be that figure that throws the team on today?
04:13His quality on the ball could be my first answer,
04:15but I think coming from the Netherlands we all know how good he is with the ball,
04:19so he can be a really important player for our build-up game.
04:24But what impressed me most when I started working with him was how much he can run,
04:28and then still how good he is when he arrives in the duel.
04:31Today you saw with him, Dominic and Maka, how much they were able to keep on running.
04:37Because sometimes you're late, but then they just kept on running and arriving in the duel.
04:41That is the one thing that impressed me most about him,
04:44how good he also is without the ball.
04:47Again, only three-game plays, only games from Saturday to Sunday or Sunday to Sunday,
04:53so there's still a lot for us to prove if you're going to play Champions League.
04:56I don't want to be the one that spoils everything,
04:59but two years ago was the last season that we played Champions League,
05:02and we all know how that season ended.
05:04So there's a lot to prove for us if we play the difficult games in Champions League
05:09and still be good during the weekend.
05:14Arne, clean sheets were an issue for Liverpool last season,
05:17you got 3-3 in the first few games.
05:20What defensively do you think you've done?
05:24I don't think that much difference.
05:28If you follow Liverpool for a longer time, you're used to them pressing really high,
05:33and that's what we try to do now as well.
05:39Like I said, the three games played, the first two with Ipswich and Brentford,
05:44were difficult opponents, let that be clear.
05:49But I said before, I'm not expecting them to end up in the top nine.
05:53Today we played with United, a very good team with a lot of quality,
05:56so it impressed me that we could keep a clean sheet,
05:59although today we also needed a goalkeeper in two moments.
06:03So a good start, let that be clear, but still a lot to prove.