In an interview room framed by a reminder of Liverpool’s six European Cups at their coaching floor, a senior member of workers shot in forward of a chat with Arne Slot to supply a neat abstract of the brand new head coach.
“He would not do romanticism, he does wins,” was stated.
The 45-year-old, off to an unblemished begin, co-signed these phrases by dropping the shoulder on any emotive method heading into the Tremendous Sunday showdown with Manchester United, dwell on Sky Sports activities.
Slot believes poetry occurs on the pitch, not in entrance of the press. He needs supporters to be seduced by Liverpool’s soccer, not his soundbites.
He possesses a pragmatism that has stretched to the staff’s taking part in type, with self-discipline and management off the ball considerably elevated.
Slot refuses to get swept up or away, submitting the primary two victories of the season towards Ipswich and Brentford because the anticipated state of play.
He tells Sky Sports activities Information the showdown at Previous Trafford is the place the actual measurement of his Liverpool aspect begins.
Arne, two wins from two. One of the notable components to date is the quantity of management Liverpool have out of possession. Has that been considered one of your key modifications to introduce?
It has been begin, however I stated it after the sport towards Brentford that now we have to know the competitors we confronted. Brentford and Ipswich are two actually good groups so I need to respect them for what they did, and we had a very onerous time taking part in them.
However I am not anticipating them to be within the prime six, so now we have nonetheless quite a bit to show. And in case you discuss management, going to Previous Trafford is without doubt one of the tough locations to have management. And even you probably have management, they will nonetheless counter-attack you in each second.
So it should be a giant take a look at for us if we will handle to do related issues we did towards Ipswich and Brentford on Sunday. It has been begin however with the upcoming fixtures we’ll see the place we precisely are, and hopefully we will present the identical and if not, we will work actually onerous to handle doing the identical in different massive fixtures.
I can inform requirements are clearly very excessive since you do not need to get carried away, nevertheless it should be comforting to know the staff have adjusted so shortly to your calls for. There’s not an enormous change in type, however there are variations they’ve cottoned on to fairly shortly…
Yeah. However I feel the principle cause for that is that there are far more similarities between the previous type and the present type than there are variations.
And it might be utterly regular that there are new issues. Even when if Jurgen [Klopp] would’ve stayed, he would’ve applied new issues. So soccer is evolving or is altering. You all the time attempt to discover new methods of peculiar the opponent.
However the factor we did is we saved quite a bit the identical. After which that is why it is also not so tough for the gamers to know what we requested from them. It is simply asking consistency over and over and over.
We’re not asking that many new issues. We’re solely asking from them the issues they already did properly, to not do it six out of 10 occasions, however to do it 10 out of 10 occasions.
That is the perfect world: that they may do it 10 out of 10 occasions and that is what we’re working for day-after-day. And that is additionally what is going on to be obligatory in case you play United as a result of in case you are one second or one minute not switched on, they will damage you in a counter-attack. So we must be prepared.
Has build-up been completely different this week given the fixture?
I already felt after Brentford that the gamers are trying ahead to taking part in this sport. But when we’d do that week utterly completely different, if the gamers have been utterly completely different for this sport than for the opposite ones, I feel they would not do justice to all the opposite matches we play.
So sure, we all know the significance of this sport however it might be unusual if we’d’ve acted this week utterly completely different to all the opposite ones as a result of that will not be factor as properly.
You have talked about counter-attack as regards to Manchester United a couple of occasions. Is that the large focus of guarding towards on Sunday?
No, I feel they’ve many threats, however considered one of them is the counter-attack. So we have been speaking about management and in case you discuss management, one of many belongings you need to forestall is the counter-attack. In order that’s why I take advantage of the phrase counter-attack a couple of occasions, however United has far more weapons than solely the counter-attack this season. So however we’ll put together the staff for that. And let’s examine the way it works out.
Erik ten Hag has been very complimentary of your begin as Liverpool supervisor and the best way you see soccer – have you ever guys encountered one another?
We did a couple of weeks in the past with the managers’ assembly. We noticed one another. After we have been in Holland we met one another occasionally as properly, however not in a means of going out for lunch or dinner collectively.
However if you play one another, you discuss to one another and also you get to know one another little by little, higher and higher. And I do know Erik however not ok to say something about his personal life or I do not understand how he works. I do understand how his groups play, in fact, however that is what I do know from each supervisor that I face within the subsequent few days.
You spoke about personal life there – have you ever had an opportunity but to personally acclimatise to Liverpool, town. Any favorite spots to go?
I’d virtually say in case you’re the supervisor of Liverpool, you do not have a personal life, however that is a bit exaggerated. Subsequent week I’ll return to Holland for a couple of days, I feel after which I’ll really feel personal life once more. Over right here, my personal life is generally within the inside my home.
And generally I have been to a couple eating places, so it has been good. And I like what I am doing, so I came to visit right here to not take pleasure in my personal life, however largely to take pleasure in my life being a Liverpool supervisor and that is why I am right here. And I’ve loved this till now quite a bit.
My personal life – particularly when my household comes over, then that might be higher. However at this second I am alone as a result of they’re on holidays, however it will come within the upcoming weeks and months.
You’d’ve had a notion of what being Liverpool supervisor is like earlier than strolling by means of these doorways. Is it the way you imagined it to be?
I am not the kind of individual that the evening earlier than thinks ‘oh, how am I going to really feel tomorrow’ with Anfield for the primary time, or the primary time coming to this constructing, or Previous Trafford…
Has the eye been completely different?
I do not really feel this large media consideration since I am right here, to be sincere. And perhaps that may include shedding. So now we have to attend and see and hopefully it is going take a variety of time earlier than that is going to occur.
You have joked concerning the deal with transfers and I am getting the sense that you’re the kind of supervisor that prefers to get enchancment on the coaching pitches as properly moderately than all the time in search of options out there?
There are two methods of bettering and strengthening the squad, and considered one of them is totally on the coaching pitch. And the second may very well be bringing in new gamers, however I stated many occasions earlier than, it isn’t really easy to herald gamers of our requirements at this membership as a result of the gamers I have already got are from a very excessive normal.
Virtually each place now we have double in, so there’s not a lot want for us to do quite a bit out there, and provided that we see there’s an actual good likelihood for us to enhance the staff and the participant needs to return to us, then we act. And I have been very completely happy till now with the gamers I’ve, and I feel they’ve earned this belief within the first two video games.
On that time of getting cowl in virtually each place. Is it then onerous to attempt to maintain all of the gamers completely happy and share the minutes round? We had the incident with Trent Alexander-Arnold, is it a tough state of affairs to attempt and ensure all people is as completely happy as they are often?
Yeah, however that is in all places you’re employed as a supervisor, that is essentially the most tough factor. At this second, I’ve received right now 21 gamers I feel on the coaching floor, and all of them work actually onerous they usually all need to play 90 minutes, however sadly, they can not.
After which an important factor is that everyone is accepting that I’ve to make the alternatives and generally I make them proper, generally they may even be fallacious, however ultimately it is all about accepting the alternatives I make. Till now, they’ve carried out it rather well.
And I feel the Trent state of affairs was under no circumstances about not accepting my determination. It has been made greater than it was, I feel, for me at the least. So all people accepted it till now. However that additionally has to do with us profitable the primary two. And you’re examined as a staff and as a supervisor in fact, far more in case you begin dropping factors. However once more, I am hoping that is not going to occur within the close to future.
Watch Man Utd vs Liverpool, dwell on Sky Sports activities Premier League, from 3.30pm on Sunday; kick-off 4pm.