On the evening of October 13 (CET), Liverpool manager Arne Slot attended a pre-match press conference ahead of the Champions League fixture against Austrian club LASK. During the press conference, Slot discussed several key topics, including squad injuries, Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak, Dominic Szoboszlai, Bradley Barcola, and Florian Wirtz. Below is a summary of the key points from the press conference:

Which of the three players (Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak, and Dominic Szoboszlai) is closest to returning? What are the chances they play this weekend?

"Their injuries are not serious, but it's difficult to determine exactly when they can return. We assess their recovery daily. Honestly, for these three players, I don't know if they'll be ready for the match against Brentford (October 17, CET), or if we'll have to wait until the match against Villarreal (October 21, CET), or even until the match against Brighton (October 25, CET) for them to return."

Obviously, without Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, there's now more focus on other attacking players and higher expectations for them. But Bradley Barcola hasn't scored or assisted in the Premier League yet, and Florian Wirtz has only one assist. What are your thoughts on them? Are you concerned about their confidence?

"Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak, and Dominic Szoboszlai are indeed our main attacking players in this tactical setup. They're all unavailable now, and we missed them in the match against Manchester City. We need these players to score goals for the team. But I also believe the players we have available can handle these positions. Injuries during international breaks are something all teams face. The key is how we adapt to the current situation."

"As for Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola, like all players, they've had good games and bad games. I believe they will deliver great results for the team in the future."

Bradley Barcola and Florian Wirtz were signed for significant fees, yet they haven't made a major impact in matches. There's a lot of talk about them outside the pitch. How do you manage these discussions? Perhaps you didn't face such issues at Bournemouth because you didn't have players with such high transfer fees.

"When we played Manchester City, if Coumas had scored that goal, Bradley Barcola would have gotten the assist. You know, he actually played very well. Sometimes we focus too much on statistics, but I'm very pleased with his performance. Bradley Barcola had chances to score before but couldn't convert them. The same applies to Florian Wirtz—I have 100% confidence in both of them."

Regarding Florian Wirtz, do you think we need to be more patient given his age? Are you confident you'll give him more time? Ultimately, do you believe he will succeed?

"When you play for a big club like ours, if you don't perform well, you naturally attract attention and criticism from outside. I think in that match against Manchester City, he didn't play perfectly, but he's also had several good games for us this season. Moreover, he's performed well for his national team and even scored. Every player has good moments and difficult games."

"Rather than focusing on an individual player's performance, I prefer to look at it from a team perspective—how we can play better and achieve excellent results. It's more of a team-level issue."

On Friday you said the team stands together and it's time for other players to step up, but Bradley Barcola and Florian Wirtz haven't helped the team improve. Do you believe they can step up?

"If you're asking about their productivity, then yes, they will definitely step up. Let's wait and see."

"But you're right—there are always players who need to step up, and that's a big challenge for us. We lost to Manchester City, and now we're trying to understand why, reviewing that match. I love this team. When we played with ten men on the pitch, although I didn't manage that situation perfectly, before that I was very satisfied with the spirit, attitude, tempo, and performance the team showed on the pitch, and that includes our defenders."

What were your thoughts during the final 30 minutes of the Manchester City match last week when you were down to ten players? I believe the team completed only 30 successful passes in those final 30 minutes. Do you see this as a sign of psychological instability in the team? Or what's your view?

"When we still had eleven players on the pitch, we played well. But after the red card, they scored quickly. If the score had remained 0-0, we could have sat deeper and maintained a compact defensive shape. But when you start losing, the situation changes. We wanted to push forward and try to create something, but since they always had an extra player, it was really difficult for us to press effectively. Given the goals we conceded, simply maintaining a compact defensive shape wasn't sufficient."

Will there be lineup changes for tomorrow's match?

"The upcoming match is one we must win, and we want to start this competition as strongly as possible. We've already won our first match, but in this tournament, it's never easy to win. It will be very difficult to field the same starting lineup as the last game."

Kelleher just told us the schedule is too congested, there's not enough time for training, and naturally, good understanding on the pitch can't be established. In your opinion, how should this aspect be managed? For example, the integration of Bradley Barcola and Kelleher.

"We don't have much time for training. Right now we can only do our best to prepare for each match, and we'll also make some targeted adjustments beyond our regular training sessions. But at the same time, we need to consider the players' physical condition to keep them fresh. After all, we have to play four matches in ten days. As for Bradley Barcola, the more matches he plays, the better his coordination with his teammates will be."

Переведено ИИ.

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