Following Liverpool's 2-2 home draw against Nottingham Forest in the second round of the Premier League, Liverpool manager Arne Slot held a press conference to address questions from the media.

Andoni, you said before the match that the team needed time to get back on track and gel, but that doesn't mean you don't expect to win now. You clearly want to win. What did you make of what you saw on the pitch today?

I think it's quite clear, isn't it? Our first-half performance was poor. I don't think we played well enough or controlled the match. After that, I think we improved significantly in the second half. We played much more actively, moved the ball quicker and with more urgency. I think we performed much better, but it wasn't enough to win the match. I think we have to pay the price for our first-half performance.

Are you frustrated? You look more frustrated than usual.

Yes, I'm frustrated because we always want to win, especially at home, and not winning at Anfield is never a good result. It's true that we've already come from behind, like against Newcastle the other day, but ultimately, what makes the difference is a win—those three points. I really enjoyed our second-half performance, but we couldn't complete the comeback, and getting just a point is indeed frustrating.

Talk us through the penalty, because it seemed you were about to make a substitution, then the opposition played a quick throw-in that led to the foul which resulted in the penalty.

Yes, I can't explain it because I didn't get an explanation either. I wanted to make that triple substitution around three minutes earlier. The ball went out of play two, three, even four times during that period, but I still don't understand why the substitution couldn't be made. I think the fourth official must have had a problem with the substitution board or something like that. Actually, if the match had stopped because I wanted to make a substitution, that quick throw-in would never have happened, because everyone would have been waiting for the substitution. So if I had called for a substitution—and I didn't just ask once, I even protested the last time the ball went out—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 itself, I'll let you judge whether it was a penalty.

Andoni, what about Víctor Muñoz? He's made a significant impact for you in critical moments over two consecutive matches. How satisfied are you with him?

I think Víctor has played very well in these two matches. What I appreciate about him is that even though sometimes he doesn't make the best decisions, and sometimes there are a few fouls, and not everything is perfect, he always keeps trying. He keeps pushing again and again, and I really like that resilience in a winger. The other day he won a penalty, and today he scored a goal, and I think he's always a threat. He also helps us a lot defensively, so yes, I'm very satisfied with him.

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

Yes, while acknowledging and accepting that we played poorly in the first half, we also had some bad luck. Because, to be honest, their goal looked offside in real time, but perhaps because of the position of someone's heel, the VAR made that decision. And the goal that Wirtz scored—I don't even think Nottingham Forest protested at the time, and we didn't really realize there was an issue, and then the VAR made a decision against us. If Wirtz had scored that goal, it would have been great for us and for him personally, and the score would have been 1-1 at half-time, which would obviously have put us in a much better position in the second half. He handled the second half very well too. He was excellent, and Wirtz is very good. I have complete confidence in him, absolutely, and I think we need to find the best way to use him. In my opinion, his position on the pitch is very clear. The more matches he plays with us, the better he'll perform—I have no doubt about that.

It seems the 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 could bring to the team?

I can't reveal any different news at the moment. There are indeed transfers ongoing, which is normal as we're now in the final days of the transfer window, but we just have to wait. I'm eager for the squad to be finalized by September 2nd so that we can work in a defined environment. Right now, everything is still full of uncertainty, and it's the same for every team, but those are the rules of the competition. We just have to wait a few more days, and after the transfer window closes, we'll work with the squad we have.

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

Yes, regarding wingers, I think they need to be adaptable. Obviously, they typically have their preferred positions, but we generally analyze the opposition's matchups—what they need to do on one flank and what they need to do on the other. Sometimes we even switch Ngoumou and Muñoz during the match toward the end. I think they need to adapt. Honestly, before we scored, Gakpo was one of the players who was going to be substituted, but he made a brilliant breakthrough, and then we gained momentum, so I decided to keep them on for a few more minutes—three or four minutes—to see if we could use that momentum to score another goal. After the match rhythm calmed down a bit, we made those substitutions. But whether it's that goal or the other one, I think they're both very good goals.

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

We're still discussing several scenarios now because we won't know our final squad until September 2nd, you understand? So I think any analysis I can make has to be based on when the dust settles. By then, I'll know who stays here for the whole season, or at least until January. So since we've waited all summer, we just need to wait another couple of days, and after the transfer window closes, we'll analyze and see what squad we have.

Traduit par IA.

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