-Credit:Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Only one team has beaten Liverpool so far this season in the Premier League: Nottingham Forest. And with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side level on points with Arsenal, it would be very handy for Arne Slot’s men to get a win that would end any surprise title talk coming out of the East Midlands. Here’s what Slot had to say during his pre-match press conference…
How far away is Joe Gomez? “Quite far. He is definitely not with the team yet and Darwin [Nunez] is suspended. They are the ones we’ll miss tomorrow.”
How good is Nottingham Forest? “I always said you can judge the table best halfway through the season and that moment is here now. If Forest is up there with us, with Arsenal, Chelsea, [Manchester] City and all the others, then they definitely are a team that is in competition with us and with the other teams. They deserved to be treated like this if you look at the way they play, if you look at their performances and results. It is going to be a very difficult challenge tomorrow to get a result.”
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Reflecting on defeat in reverse fixture: “They showed in retrospect what a good team they are. In general, when Liverpool loses a home game [it is a surprise]. In that moment Virgil [van Dijk] played 100 home games and only lost once. For me to lose on that day was hard to take. Looking back at it and where they are in the league, maybe it’s not as big of a shock. They had a good game plan and brought the winger in that did so well.”
Young players who impressed in cup games: “That’s very important for every club but especially for this club. I said that earlier and it’s important the club brings talent through the ranks. It’s nice to see there are some youngsters who are having an impact in our team and on games. It’s nice because it gives good energy in the building if academy players are playing well.”
Nuno Espirito Santo impact: “What every manager tries to do is to find the plan and style to suit the players best. That’s what Nuno did and their style suits them. They work really hard without the ball — Chris Wood is an example, They have midfielders who can bring wingers into positions. They have a threat on the counter but not just the counter. I think Nuno did a great job in implementing a style of players that suit the players well.”
Diogo Jota injury return: “All of them have 80 per cent the same program, 20 per cent is individual, so a special program is not only for him. He’s someone I like to have in my squad; I like to have him available. You saw us build him up. Now he’s ready to play 90. It’s nice to have him available, so hopefully it stays like this.
“He’s a hard worker and tries to become a better player every single day. He’s a player who is good in both parts (attacking and defending). He’s a threat when attacking, and he works really hard. Jota is an experienced player, which is one reason why he wore the armband [against Accrington]. I think he served the club the longest of the players on the pitch. Let’s hope he stays fit.”
Liverpool forward Diogo Jota. -Credit:Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
On squad management: “That’s in this moment. Things can be totally different but it is definitely helpful for any manager to have all their players available. We almost have that at the moment. Teams in England play a lot of games so it helps if they are available. Some teams have bigger squads than us, some teams don’t. The teams in competition with us would have loved to have all their players available. Let’s hope we can continue like this.”
How much does Slot know about history of Nottingham Forest? “I think it was 10 minutes when someone told me that it was ‘78/79 that Liverpool [won the European Cup] and then Forest two years and then Liverpool again. I’m aware of that and I didn’t know the exact years but I did know that Forest was a big force in English football for a long period of time.
“But that’s a long time ago and now they are back at it. But they are doing really good and Nuno is doing an incredible job, but if you look at the amount of money they have spent it is perhaps not a complete surprise that they do well this season.”
Assessing the first half of the season: “You can judge the league table better at halfway but we also know that in the second half teams will improve. Teams can bring players in January. There’s more at stake in the second half of the table and you see more shocks. So we have to improve and over the next 19 games.”
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot. -Credit:Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Importance of starting quickly: “I think the opening of a game is always important, especially an away game. I assume that the atmosphere will be fired up from the start. That makes it even more important to stop that going even more. They are a team that hardly concedes goals. They don’t take risks in build-up and they always have players behind the ball and they work really hard when they lose the ball. They have center-backs that can defend the ball really well.”
Importance of Wataru Endo: “I asked Harvey [Elliott] to come into the room before the game because I know he wants to get his chance in the number 10 position. But because of the players who weren’t available, he had to play from the right, and he did really well.
“It is the same for Wata but I didn’t even invite him in because I know what kind of person he is — ‘Wherever you play me, I will do my best’. If it is five minutes before the end, he comes in and gives everything. I have seen other players during my career come on at the end of matches and show a different attitude.
“He is an important part of our team, in midfield or defense. I didn’t want to bring Ibou in after he played against United and then we had to make that substitution [vs Tottenham]. And the moment I took Wata out of our last line, we conceded! He did really well.”