Slot on Liverpool's 2-0 Bournemouth win and stretching lead at top to nine points
01/02/2025
Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, UK
01/02/2025
Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, UK
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Jürgen, what was your view on the game? It looked like a real battle today.
00:05It was. As expected.
00:09So I said before the game that after our home game when we were 3-0 up at half-time,
00:14the way they came at us the second half,
00:17I already knew what a great mentality this team has, and quality as well.
00:23And from that moment onwards they've done so well in the league,
00:27they've picked up points against so many good teams, not by luck,
00:30but because they're intense, they have quality,
00:35and that's why we knew it was always going to be very hard.
00:40And if you want to win here, maybe you need a bit of luck as well,
00:44because the margins are so small. Our penalty was just not offside,
00:49and their goal on 1-1 was on a margin offside, they hit the post twice.
00:54We had our chances as well, but it was a close call for us to win this game.
00:59Are you pleased with the way your players stood up to the physicality,
01:02because there can't be many games this season where it's quite so tough?
01:05No. No, that's true, like you were saying.
01:07So only a few. Only a few of them have been as tough as this,
01:10and that's what I've told them before,
01:12that in all the data when it comes to running, they are so high up in the list.
01:20So we knew that if we would have had any chance of a result over here,
01:24we at least had to compete with them in terms of running and fighting
01:28and playing the duels and all these things.
01:31And I think that's what the players did today.
01:35And, yeah, then having Mo Salah definitely helps in a game like this.
01:43What was the situation with Trent?
01:45The situation was that he said to me,
01:48you have to take me off, and he sat on the floor and we took him off.
01:53So he felt something. I cannot tell you exactly what and how bad it is,
01:57of course, because we are one hour after the game.
02:00But it's never a good sign if a player is asking for a substitution.
02:05So I would be surprised, this is not a fact,
02:07but I would be surprised if he plays on the first day.
02:10But let's hope he's back with us as soon as possible.
02:15Connection for Alisson as well, he was so important again today,
02:18two or three absolute world-class saves.
02:20Yeah. Like I said, if you want to win here against a team that is so competitive,
02:26you need a team performance and work rate, that's what we have,
02:30and you need some quality individuals that can make the difference for you.
02:33And that goal of Mo was absolute quality.
02:36And the saves Alisson made as well.
02:39But it was not only them,
02:42just the way our centre-backs were defending again today was also impressive.
02:46So team performance, work rate, incredible.
02:48Only way to have a chance for a result.
02:51And then you need good individual performance
02:55and you need positive margins,
02:57like I just explained with both our sides that were in our favour.
03:02Arjen, it feels like, maybe to outsiders of us,
03:07the sort of game that title races swing on,
03:11where, as you say, very fine margins.
03:14For the bigger picture, I think it's 15 games to go now.
03:17Yeah.
03:18As someone who's played in those sort of teams,
03:21did it feel like that for you?
03:23Almost every game feels like this for me.
03:24So, we've had so many of our games have been, until the end, exciting.
03:31And there were a few moments already this season
03:35where I felt we were just not on the right side.
03:37So all the points we've got till now,
03:40I think we deserve them.
03:41I've said many times already,
03:43the Chelsea game, that's under debate then maybe.
03:46And this game, yeah, we weren't unlucky, let's put it that way.
03:50But Fulham at home, being 2-2, getting chance after chance,
03:53United at home, getting chance after chance at 2-2.
03:57And there was another game for us that ended in a draw
04:00with us getting chance after chance in the end of the game.
04:03So, yeah.
04:06But what I want from them and what they want from each other
04:09is that they fight in every single game from the first till the last second
04:12to get the maximum result, and that's what the fans expect from them
04:17playing for this club.
04:18And that's what we try to do in every single game.
04:20And that's also what's necessary
04:21if you want to have any chance of a result in this league.
04:27I noticed that Ryan Gravenberch was a bit more pushed
04:29towards the right-hand side today.
04:31Is that an intentional tactic, can you say?
04:34What do you think?
04:35I think it was. Is there any way you can talk about it?
04:38Not many things that we do are just by coincidence.
04:41So I think it's clear that they have many good things, this team.
04:49But their left full-back is definitely a threat going forwards.
04:53And Mo Salah is an incredible player,
04:59but his main strength is not following the opposite full-back.
05:04Some people are laughing over here, I don't know why that is.
05:06And I see a goal over here.
05:11But that's not the only thing.
05:12We want to keep Mo as much as we can forward as well,
05:14because it is a risk for every team that plays us.
05:18If the left full-back goes, I think it was...
05:22What game did we play? I think one or two games ago.
05:26It was at home. I don't exactly know.
05:30Which game did we play last at home?
05:33Did he score? Yeah, the first goal, Mo, didn't he?
05:36Yeah, and that was a moment where the left full-back just wanted to go forward,
05:42and then Mo was free in transition and it was a goal for Mo.
05:45But, yeah, it's clear that if you leave Trent constantly
05:48with Semenyo and Kerekes in the 2-1,
05:51that is not the best idea that I can come up with.
05:57Congrats on the win. I just wanted to get your thoughts
06:00on that penalty decision in the first half.
06:02There's been a lot of controversy about it online.
06:05I just wanted to get your thoughts about it.
06:08From who is the controversy? Online there's always controversy,
06:12so especially from fans that are probably not in favour of Liverpool.
06:17The only thing I can say is, and I haven't seen it back,
06:20is that one of my players is on a clear 1-v-1 to the goalkeeper,
06:24and he's falling down, so either he makes a swalba...
06:27Is that an English word as well? A dive?
06:30Either he makes a dive... It's a German word.
06:34Either he makes a dive or they touch him,
06:36and if they touch him, yeah, then for me it's a penalty.
06:40And if then it would not have even been a chance,
06:42you're always like, yeah, is this really a penalty then?
06:44But this was such a clear 1-on-1 chance that,
06:50yeah, if he touched him, which I assume he did,
06:52otherwise the VAR would have probably interfered.
06:55And Kerekes impressed today a lot of people.
06:58Is he a player that you'll be looking at in the summer?
07:01I don't think I have to talk about players that we are interested in,
07:06let alone a player from Bournemouth.
07:08He's playing over here, he's having a great season,
07:11as many, many, many other players here as well,
07:14and that shows you probably how good of a manager you have over here,
07:17and what a great sports director you had over here,
07:20and maybe still have, I don't know how he's doing now.
07:23But he brought in very good players,
07:25and this manager works with them in an incredible way,
07:27because he brings the best out of every single player,
07:30including the one you just mentioned,
07:32but I'm not talking about an individual,
07:34they are all doing, bringing the best out of their game at the moment.
07:40Sometimes those are the sort of things you need to go for you,
07:43is that almost like an element of the luck in inverted commas,
07:46you need to win games like this and to win titles ultimately?
07:52I can come up with three, four, five examples
07:54where we didn't have the luck we deserved,
07:56or we didn't get the decision we deserved.
08:01But that's always the difficult thing in football,
08:03if there's one then in your favour,
08:05people will probably tell you,
08:06there's always that luck for Liverpool,
08:09or for the one that's number one at the moment.
08:15So, yeah, for me this has nothing to do with luck,
08:18it's a clear 1-3-1,
08:19and I can tell you if Cody Kakpo goes 1-3-1 to the goalkeeper,
08:23it's quite a big chance as well.
08:25Yeah, if you are then tripped, it is a penalty,
08:29and it's not like it's a penalty from a little push from a set-piece,
08:32and it wasn't even a chance.
08:34So I wouldn't call this luck,
08:37unless I see it back and I see he didn't touch him at all,
08:40then it was not luck,
08:43then it was a wrong decision by the referee and the VAR,
08:46but I assume that that was not the situation.
08:54Yeah.