Liverpool boss Arne Slot on their 1-0 win over relegated Leicester and closing in on the Premier League title
King Power Stadium, Leicester, UK
King Power Stadium, Leicester, UK
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00:00A great strike by Trent and a great man in, not a bad substitution for you to bring on there?
00:15I don't think I deserve any credits for that, because if you have Trent on the bench,
00:20knowing that Conor probably can play 90, I think every manager in the world would have brought Trent in.
00:25There are no credits for me over there.
00:29But definitely for Trent, because he worked so hard for five and a half weeks, including the medical staff,
00:36that worked so hard with him to get him back in the squad as soon as he could.
00:44That's why we could use him today for 15 minutes, and I think I had to use him for 27, because seven minutes of at a time.
00:53It was a fantastic moment for him and the celebration showed how much it meant for him.
01:00Yeah, but I don't think it only meant a lot to him, I think it meant a lot for everyone, for everyone who loves Liverpool.
01:06But it's a big moment and big players like to have big moments in their career.
01:13And Virgil had one last week in a special moment, Mo has had them many times this season already.
01:19And players with the quality of Trent, you know, you know, you know that these players step up when you're most needed.
01:25And he did that when he came in against Newcastle, he did that in his second-half performance against Paris Saint-Germain,
01:33where I was just waiting for him to score a goal till the moment he had to go out with an injury.
01:38And now he's back and he's had his moment. So all nice, but still one to go.
01:45It pushes you one step further, I guess. Just waiting. To score with your 25th shot just shows how much you've dominated today and how well you've played.
02:00Yeah, I think we did. We dominated definitely, which is also what you could expect if you go to Leicester.
02:06But I think you also have to give credits to Ruud van Isselrooy, who just keeps trying to play in the best possible way.
02:14And I saw a few very good moments of them also today. It's not a team that kicks every ball long.
02:19They try to play. They try to create. But yeah, you can expect that we are the team that creates most chances.
02:27And it's the first time since I'm here that we've missed so many big chances.
02:33Because normally we are better in scoring one of them. But today it was not a big chance that we scored.
02:40It was again a set-piece in another big moment for us to score in a set-piece,
02:44with us putting so much effort in it for nine or ten months now.
02:48It feels really good that in the moment we need most,
02:53although we needed it against Pélicien-Germain as well when we headed it on the post, Jarrell.
02:58Now two big moments for us to score a set-piece.
03:03Will it feel extra special if you do indeed win a title in front of your fans?
03:07Have your fans been sensational?
03:09Yeah, they definitely were.
03:11But I think the only thing the fans want is us winning the league.
03:15After one league title in 35 years with them not being involved because of Covid.
03:23Of course they were involved, but not as much as they probably wanted.
03:28Every moment that it happens, it would be special for them.
03:34But definitely looking forward to next week because I assume Arsenal,
03:38because they are such a good team, is able to win during the week.
03:43So we probably have to do it ourselves.
03:45And the first chance we have is next week against Tottenham.
03:48Arnim, you just mentioned the set-piece.
03:50I think that was at the 12th corner.
03:52You changed it at half-time from swingers to in-swingers.
03:55What did you see?
03:56Can you just talk about what you just mentioned about the nine months
03:59and the difficulty in scoring from set-piece and what have you been changing?
04:02A lot of noise.
04:05To be fair, the idea, the plan was to have in-swingers already in the first half.
04:11But there is a bit of freedom also for players to take an out-swing
04:17if they think that's better or that they prefer that.
04:21The work we've put in is that we've trained a lot, we have a lot of meetings about it.
04:26We try to, every single time, try to improve the details.
04:31And I think it's normal for a team that's...
04:37Not a team, but a coaching staff that's only for nine or ten months with that team
04:41that it doesn't come from the first week.
04:43I always say, if I'm analysing an opponent,
04:48if they have their set-pieces perfect, all their throw-ins perfect,
04:51all these kind of things, I know the manager is already there for a long time.
04:54Because normally you start with bringing the ball out from the back,
04:56how to defend and all these kind of things.
04:58And the end of that process is set-pieces.
05:01And I think Arsenal is a great example of that.
05:04Where Mikel has worked so long, they're so good in all different phases of the game,
05:10and now they've become world-class in set-pieces.
05:14And with the Twix, you've made a half-time as well.
05:17What was the idea that it looked like you went 4-2-4 a bit?
05:20Sorry?
05:21It looked like you went 4-2-4, second half.
05:23When you pressed, what was the idea then?
05:26I don't think we had to press that much because the goalkeeper mostly kicked the ball long.
05:32But, yeah, the way we press, we wanted just the one that's closest to the ball needs to press,
05:40and especially if we need a goal.
05:41So that could sometimes mean that it's 4-2-4,
05:43and sometimes it's the winger and the full-back jumps,
05:45it's just getting rhythm into the game.
05:47Because it's quite difficult for us to get rhythm and momentum into the game,
05:52because the most teams we are facing, every time there's a throw-in,
05:56they take one and a half minutes to take that throw-in.
05:58So, yeah, the only thing we can do about it is keep the ball longer.
06:01And there is where I think we can and have to improve.
06:05But, yeah, it's also a nice thing that there are still a lot of things to improve
06:09if we are 13 points clear at the moment.
06:17Yeah, I think I have to wait and see because I haven't experienced it here yet.
06:34But what I do know from my experience at Feyenoord is that, of course,
06:37there's a lot of noise and everybody is very excited,
06:40but at our training ground we are just focused on the training session we do
06:44and trying to prepare in the best possible way for Tottenham,
06:48which is a team where all the injuries are coming back.
06:52It's a team that deserves our full attention.
06:55The boys also have one or two days off during this week,
06:58because we've planned that already a long time ago,
07:02and hopefully they will enjoy some time with their loved ones
07:06and be fully focused when we are back together to work towards Tottenham.
07:11Arnick, I'm sure no one will question Trent's commitment after that goal.
07:17But you have to have two signing on.
07:19Are you still open to dialogue on Trent? Are you still hoping for that half?
07:24The headline should be today the goal he scored and not about his contract.
07:28But what I can say is it would be ridiculous if someone argues his commitment for this club.
07:35Because the work that he put in to be back today and make such an important goal
07:41and all the work he's done for this club in all these years that he's here,
07:45that no one should, in my opinion, can argue his commitment to this club,
07:50but that the headlines be his great goal and not his contract situation.
07:55Yes, thank you very much.