In the 16th round of the Premier League, Liverpool defeated Brighton 2-0 at Anfield. After the match, Reds manager Arne Slot talked about relevant topics.
On Salah’s return to the match squad
“I think the reason Salah didn’t play against Inter Milan was the interview he gave – everyone has different opinions on this issue. Should he be suspended for one, two, three, four games, or four years, twelve years? Every coach makes different decisions in such situations, but he didn’t play against Inter. I spoke to him yesterday; usually, I don’t reveal the content of our conversations, and this time is no exception. But the fact speaks louder than words – he’s back in the squad. When I needed to make the first substitution, I chose him, and his performance was exactly what all the fans, including me, hoped to see.”
On Salah thanking fans after the match
“Salah wasn’t the only player who walked around the pitch to thank the fans after the game – because the fans deserve our gratitude. I think our players worked very hard today to keep a clean sheet; this might be the first time in weeks or even months, and there was also a bit of luck involved. We did create some chances in the game, and the opponent couldn’t score. Salah will now join the national team; I hope he performs well. At the same time, we need to continue playing without several players. The good news is that we have longer intervals between upcoming games: one match on Saturday, then a week of rest, followed by another match on Saturday. So, that’s the current situation.”
On whether he wanted Salah to return
“Yes, I think he’s still a Liverpool player. As long as he’s here, I will use him when needed. Today he didn’t start, just like in a few previous occasions. But in previous seasons, he started almost every game. When he came on as a substitute today, his performance was exactly what you hoped to see. He provided an assist and almost scored with a long-distance run. These are very important because when you send on an attacker, you want them to pose a threat to the opponent.”
On whether he was satisfied with the team’s overall performance
“It’s interesting. People always say that if you win 2-0, suddenly your defense becomes solid, but we also really created a lot of chances in this game, and I think we’re starting to perform better in possession. We’ve kept three clean sheets in the last five games – this is a good foundation, especially after conceding seven goals in the games against PSV Eindhoven and Nottingham Forest.”
On Ekitike, who scored two more goals today“I remember asking him at the start of the season if his poor performance was just due to fatigue. But before he was substituted, he seemed to have a cramp. I’ve seen him and other new signings this summer adapting to the intensity of the Premier League. Except for Isak, they are all very young, and they all have to adapt to the high-intensity games of the Premier League and Champions League. I’ve seen their progress in these aspects. Ekitike cramped up today, but I can assure you that his running volume today was double what it was at the start of the season – that’s the requirement of this league. If you can’t maintain high intensity for a long time, it will be very difficult to win games. Because the best players in the world play here, we have to help them adapt better to this intensity, and I’ve seen progress from most of the new signings.”
