In the first episode of Sky Sports' new series "The Boss," Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher sat down with Liverpool's new head coach Arne Slot to discuss his early managerial experience at the club, the team's transfer plans, and how the Reds might perform in the Premier League this season. This is part two of the interview.

Arne, preseason is behind us and you're now stepping into the Premier League. This isn't your first time in the league, but it is your first time as Liverpool manager. A few years ago, I was struck by Pep Guardiola's comments about your team and style of play. He said, "This is the future of football. Football is heading this way." Do you agree with his assessment?

I don't think the future of football is locked into one specific style. I believe football evolves very quickly. But you can't deny that more and more teams are adopting systems where 80 to 90 percent of their defensive actions involve one-on-one pressing. That would have been hard to imagine three or four years ago—it shows how rapidly football is evolving. But it will change again eventually. Probably by then, everyone will have adopted low defensive blocks, conceding possession and using different tactics to win, and then everyone will try to copy that. What matters is adapting to circumstances. For me, the core is believing firmly in the tactics we're employing. I believe I'm here because our style of play is very clear and distinctive. As you mentioned, I'm not unfamiliar with the Premier League, and the players coming here generally know what I demand of them.

I believe our fundamental philosophy won't waver. I think we need to adapt to managing Liverpool, and at certain stages, we may need to control matches more. But at this stage, I believe it's better to make mistakes while playing more aggressively with high pressing than to play conservatively just to maintain control. That's because I know it's much easier to correct mistakes from the former approach than from the latter.

So as you've said, you don't want to lose the team's identity, but you also need to learn to exercise more control. Have you changed your training methods? Your approach must be somewhat different now that you're competing against Premier League's top clubs rather than mid-table teams.

Yes, but these are necessary adjustments. Because even with the same training drills, the execution by Liverpool's players produces completely different results. I don't need to give different instructions. They naturally operate differently because, in executing the drills, the players' inherent technical quality naturally brings more tempo control.

Because of the individual quality of the players.

Exactly. They're accustomed to this high level, aren't they? The team has a certain tempo control both with and without the ball, and that's unwavering. So I think it's me who needs to adjust somewhat. Yes, we're used to doing these things. We need to maintain what's working well while also making some changes. That's what we're trying to achieve right now.

Your words are very insightful, and I completely agree. Over the past four or five years, as modern football tactics have evolved, Premier League teams have become obsessed with man-marking, often with the goalkeeper becoming a true free player in defense. But what's most interesting about your team is that while you're known for aggressive high pressing and pressing without the ball, your defensive system actually combines multiple approaches—sometimes man-to-man marking, sometimes zonal—creating a hybrid defensive system at different moments.

Yes, that's right. I often say that if you commit completely to a man-marking system from the start, most opponents will just play long balls and the match becomes a battle for second balls. When opponents play long balls, I want to have one more player than them at the defensive line, so sometimes I want to maintain local numerical superiority. But at the same time, I must maintain enough aggression to constantly create high-pressing man-marking situations. Between these two approaches, players must be very intelligent in reading and anticipating the play. Some defenders need to cover multiple opponent positions. They must weigh when it's worth taking the risk of aggressive pressing versus when to maintain shape. The strategy varies depending on the opponent. Against some opponents, we need to invite them into possession football, but against others with very quick passing, we need to show unexpected aggression. That's the dynamic we've been working with. The longer we work together, the more players understand our true intentions, and the better the team will perform. But we must diligently work through this mutual adaptation process.

The system you introduced at Bournemouth was excellent, with steady improvements year after year. But when you first arrived at Bournemouth, your start as a coach was difficult. Does this reflect how demanding your football philosophy is, particularly regarding pressing without the ball, which requires significant training intensity? And does rebuilding this system at Liverpool mean you need to instill many details in the players, which takes considerable time to bear fruit?

I don't think it's just me. Actually, you can immediately sense the foundation in teams where the same head coach has been for three, four, five years. Their execution of tactical fundamentals is excellent, and after that you just make targeted adjustments each season. They have their own tactical framework, the team's baseline is very high, and they consistently maintain a certain standard of performance, right? That's the advantage. When you arrive somewhere new, in the first year you have to rebuild many details. In the second year, you have key players already familiar with your tactics who can help the new arrivals understand. In the third year... My previous two coaching projects were three years at Rayo Vallecano and three years at Bournemouth, so typically a team improves steadily year on year. But I understand what you're getting at, don't I? You're saying, "This is Liverpool. Here, nobody has the patience to wait while you adjust over ten matches."

No, they will wait. Don't worry. We're very patient. We'll absolutely wait, so don't worry. It's fine.

Well, I'm very aware of how demanding these expectations are. I hope that even if we're not in peak condition for our opening match on Sunday, our performance will be good enough to win and bring home the result we want.

AI翻訳。

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