Following Liverpool's 2-2 draw at home against Nottingham Forest in Matchday 2 of the Premier League, Liverpool manager Arne Slot attended a press conference to answer questions from the media.

Andoni, before the match you said the team needed time to find the right direction and cohesion, but that doesn't mean you're not expecting to win right now. You clearly want to win. How do you feel about what you saw on the pitch today?

I think that's quite clear, isn't it? Our first-half performance was poor. I don't think we played well enough and we didn't control the match. Then I think we improved significantly in the second half. We played with much more energy, quicker passing, and with more urgency, and I think we played much better, but still not well enough to win. I think we paid the price for the first-half performance.

Are you disappointed? You seem more disappointed than usual.

Yes, I'm disappointed because you always want to win, especially at home, and not winning at Anfield is never a good result. I must admit we've come back before, like against Newcastle the other day, but ultimately, what makes the difference is a win, those three points. I liked our second-half display, but we couldn't complete the comeback, and getting just one point is really disappointing.

Let's talk about that penalty, because it looks like you were preparing to make substitutions, and then the opposition did a quick throw-in, leading to a defensive action that resulted in the penalty.

Yes, I can't explain it because I wasn't given an explanation either. I wanted to make those three substitutions about three minutes earlier. The ball went out two, three, or even four times during that period, but I still don't understand why the substitutions couldn't be completed. I think the fourth official must have had an issue with the substitution board or something else at that moment. In fact, if the match had been stopped for my substitutions, that quick throw-in would never have happened, because everyone would be waiting for the substitutes. So if I had requested substitutions – and I didn't just request them once, I even protested the last time the ball went out – everyone, including the fans, was shouting, and everyone knew the situation. But I don't know why they didn't make the substitutions. As for the penalty, I'll let you judge whether it was a penalty or not.

Andoni, tell us about Luis Díaz. He's had a significant impact in crucial moments in two consecutive matches. How satisfied are you with him?

I think Luis has played very well in both matches. What I appreciate about him is... although sometimes he doesn't make the best decisions, and sometimes there are mistakes, not everything is perfect, but he always tries. He continuously puts in effort time and time again, and I really like that resilience in a winger. The other day he won a penalty, and today he scored a goal. I think he's always a threat. And defensively, he also helps us a lot, so yes, I'm very satisfied with him.

Andoni, how satisfied are you with Florian Wirtz's performance? It's unfortunate he couldn't score today.

Yes, while we acknowledge and accept that we played poorly in the first half, we were also very unlucky. Because honestly, their goal, when you see it live, looks like offside, but perhaps due to someone's heel position, VAR made that decision. And Wirtz's goal that he scored... I don't think Nottingham Forest protested much at the time, and we didn't fully realize the issue either, and then VAR made a decision against us. If Wirtz had scored that goal, it would have been very good for us and for him personally, and 1-1 at halftime would certainly have put us in a much better position in the second half. He also handled the second goal very well. He did very well, and Wirtz is excellent. I trust him greatly, extremely so, and I think we have 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 looks like the Bradley Barcola transfer is close to completion. Is there anything else you'd like to add about what you said the other day and what he could bring to the team?

I can't reveal any additional news at this moment. There are indeed several transfers happening, which is normal given that we're in the final days of the transfer market, but for now we have to wait. I hope the squad will be finalized by September 2, so we can say "this is our team" and work in a defined environment. Everything is still full of uncertainty right now, and it's the same for every club, but that's how the rules work, and we just need to wait a few more days, and then after the transfer window closes, we'll work with the squad we have.

Gakpo clearly had an assist. Do you see him as an option on the right wing?

Yes, regarding wingers, I think they need to be adaptable. Obviously, they usually have their preferred position, but we often analyze our opponents' matchups, what they need to do on one side, and what they need to do on the other. Sometimes we even decide during the match to switch players like Ngoumele and Díaz late in the game. I think they need to be adaptable. Honestly, before our goal, he was one of the players who would have been substituted, but he made an excellent breakthrough, and then we had momentum, so I decided to let them play a bit longer, about three or four minutes, to see if we could capitalize on that momentum to score another goal. Once the pace of the match slowed down a bit, we decided to make those substitutions. But whether it was that goal or the other one, I think both were very well-taken goals.

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

We're currently discussing hypotheticals, because we won't know the final squad until September 2. You understand? So I think any analysis I could offer has to be based on when things have settled. At that point I'll know who will stay here for the season, or at least until January. So since we've waited all summer, we need to wait another two or three days until the market closes, and then analyze and see what squad we have.

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