In the second round of the Premier League, Liverpool drew 2-2 with Nottingham Forest at home. After the match, Liverpool manager Arne Slot attended the press conference to answer media questions.

Andoni, you said before the match that it takes time to get the team back on track and gel, but that doesn't mean you don't expect to win now. You clearly crave victory. How do you feel about what you saw on the field today?

I think that's clear enough, isn't it? We had a very poor performance in the first half. I don't think we played well enough or controlled the game. After that, I think we improved significantly in the second half. We played much more proactively, moved the ball faster, with more urgency, and I think we performed much better, but it wasn't enough to win the game. I think we have to pay for our first-half performance.

Are you frustrated? You seem more frustrated than usual.

Yes, I'm frustrated because you always want to win, especially at home. Not winning at Anfield is never a good result. Admittedly, we've come back from behind before, like against Newcastle the other day, but ultimately, what can change the situation is a win—those three points. I liked our performance in the second half, but we couldn't complete the comeback, and getting only one point is indeed frustrating.

Talk about that penalty, because it looked like you were about to make a substitution, and then the opponent took a quick throw-in, which led to the tackle that resulted in the penalty.

Yes, I can't explain it because I didn't get an explanation either. I wanted to make a triple substitution about three minutes before. The ball went out of bounds two, three, or even four times during that period, but I still don't understand why the substitution couldn't be completed. I think the fourth official must have had some issue with the substitution board or something else at the time. In fact, if the game had been paused for my substitution, that quick throw-in would never have happened, because everyone would have been waiting. So if I had already requested a substitution—and I requested it more than once, even protesting when the ball went out of bounds the previous time—everyone, including the fans, was shouting, and everyone understood the situation. But I don't know why they didn't make the substitution. As for the penalty, I'll leave it to you to judge whether it was a penalty.

Andoni, tell me about Víctor Muñoz. He has made a substantial impact for you at critical moments in two consecutive games. How satisfied are you with him?

I think Víctor played very well in these two games. What I appreciate about him is that although sometimes he doesn't make the best choices, and sometimes there are some fouls, and not everything is perfect, he always keeps trying. He keeps pushing forward again and again, and I really like this tenacity in wingers. The other day he won a penalty, and today he scored a goal. I think he is always a threat. He also provides a lot of defensive support, so yes, I am very satisfied with him.

Andoni, how satisfied are you with Wirtz's performance? He was quite unlucky not to score today.

Yes, while admitting and accepting that we played poorly in the first half, we were also very unlucky. Because, to be honest, their goal, watching it live, looked offside, but perhaps due to the position of someone's heel, VAR made that ruling. And Wirtz's goal—I don't even think Nottingham Forest protested at the time, and we didn't really realize the problem, and then VAR ruled against us. If Wirtz had scored that goal, it would have been great for us and for himself. The score would have been 1-1 at halftime, which would obviously put us in a much better situation in the second half. He also handled himself very well in the second half. He did a great job, and Wirtz is very good. I trust him very much, extremely much, and I think we must find the best way to use him. In my opinion, his position on the field is very clear. The more games he plays with us, the better he will perform. I have no doubt about that.

It seems that a deal for Barcola is very close to being finalized. Do you have anything to add to what you said the other day, and what he can bring to the team?

I can't reveal more details at the moment. There are indeed some transfers in motion, which is normal, because we are in the final days of the transfer market, but now we have to wait. I look forward to the squad being finalized by September 2nd, so we can work in a defined environment. Right now everything is still full of uncertainty, and this is true for every team, but these are the rules of the game. We just need to wait a few more days, and then after the transfer window closes, we can work with the squad we have.

Gakpo obviously provided an assist. Do you also see him as an option on the right wing?

Yes, regarding wingers, I think they have to adapt. Obviously, they usually have their preferred positions, but we analyze the opponent's matchups and what they need to do on one side versus the other. Sometimes we even decide mid-game to switch players between flanks. I think they have to be adaptable. Honestly, before we scored, he was one of the players I was about to substitute, but he made a brilliant breakthrough, and then we gained momentum, so I decided to keep them on for a little longer—about three or four minutes—to see if we could use that momentum to score another goal. After the pace of the game slowed down a bit, we decided to make those substitutions. But whether it was that goal or the other one, I think they were both very good goals.

Andoni, if you end this transfer window with four wingers in your squad (which is very likely), do you think the configuration of the other positions in the squad is strong enough to achieve your ambitions for this season?

We are still discussing hypotheticals now, because we won't know the final squad until September 2nd. You understand? So I think any analysis I can make must be based on when the dust has settled. By then I will know who will stay here for the whole season, or at least until January. Since we have waited all summer, we must wait another two or three days, and after the market closes, we can analyze and see the squad we have.

AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com