Arne Slot reveals his first impressions of Salah, van Dijk, Gakpo & more!

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Patrick Davison sits down with Arne Slot to speak about Liverpool becoming Premier League Champions again, the start of his journey and his first impressions of Anfield and the Liverpool players.

00:00 Liverpool becoming PL champions
01:15 Celebrations
02:43 Arne Slot blowing a kiss
03:50 The start of Arne Slot’s Liverpool journey
05:27 Meeting Richard Hughes
07:48 Arriving at Anfield
09:50 Working with Van Dijk, Salah, Trent & more
11:29 Ryan Gravenberch
13:55 Arne Slot picks defining moment

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Anna, a few days now as a champion of England. What has it been like seeing what it’s meant to people and of course knowing what it means to you? That has been the best part of of it all. Uh working here for 10 months, you can already get an idea what it means to the people if we were able to win it. But the moment the bus we were driving in, that was emotional. uh and you could feel how much it would mean to them and from the moment we were in the stadium uh till we left the stadium. Yeah, I think we all saw and knew uh we already knew it but we saw it even more how special it was and a big big big compliment to our fans that there was no pitch invasion. And I think that was also the reason what what made it so special after the game because the amount of times you see fans running on the pitch and then all of a sudden there is no celebration anymore. Yeah. Uh or only for 2 minutes. Uh this was Yeah. I think uh every club around the world should watch this and say ah this is the perfect way of celebrating it. Yeah. C can you talk us through how you felt in those moments leading up to and after the fulltime whistle? I I must admit as I as I drove to Anfield in that morning, I wondered, you know, you’re you’re so far clear. What would the celebrations be like? But being part of that outpouring of joy, that wave of emotion, what was that like for you? That was brilliant. But to go into a game uh knowing that you still need a point uh uh uh to clinch it, I think that’s the way you say it. Yeah. Um that also there also comes a bit of pressure with that because when you arrive at the stadium you feel like if we’re not allowed if we’re not able uh to achieve it today that would be a a big big big big upset. So uh it also came with a bit of responsibility and a bit of anxiety maybe when I talk for when I speak for myself. But like like I said before the moment you arrive at the stadium you feel it’s almost impossible that we’re going to lose this game because yeah I’ve I’ve already experienced some special moments at Anfield. I’ve already experienced a few times that the fans really helped us getting the win over the line or getting a late game winner. But but this was more than than I think anyone has ever felt before. At least that’s what people tell me. I’m only here for 10 months, but uh the the diehard Liverpool fans that have been here for so so so many years put this probably in the top three of Anfield games. I feel like I mean we’re in a really privileged position. So we’re sat obviously right next to the bench directly behind you when you’re kind of on the touch line. I feel like with a couple of minutes to go, I think I saw you turn and look up and blow a kiss. Yeah. To someone in the crowd. No, not to somebody. That would probably be my wife and my children. But I I also looked up because I wanted to see you nine out of 10 times in every stadium you see the cup in our situation that are celebrating and singing. But it this this time and it has happened a few times before at Anfield, but this time the whole stadium was was red. So that was was brilliant what Fjo came up with that the whole stadium was red. Um but the everywhere you saw the same emotion and um I’ve said before normally when we are three goals three goals clear and there’s five minutes to play I still feel there might go something wrong. But being 5-1 up with only a few minutes to play, that was a moment also um to look around and see what it has meant to everyone. So I want to take you now back to the start or or back to the start of this Liverpool journey. So almost 12 months. The phone rings and you’re told that Liverpool might be interested. How well can you picture that moment? Where are you where are you sat? Who calls you? Oh, I don’t even know exactly where I was at that moment anymore. I don’t think um No, I don’t know. But I do know that it was a special moment because I was really happy at fin uh the way I could work there, the success we had together. So I I I could have worked there for three or four more years. So there were only a few clubs where I would leave five or four and it’s not a surprise that Liverpool was definitely one of them. And that’s also again the positive thing from what happened last Sunday. When I talk to players in the past last season or uh or now because we are we are working of course already towards next season I always tell them uh we have one of the special maybe the special fans of the world but from this moment on I don’t have to tell this anymore. People only have to look uh the videos back from Sunday and and then everybody knows how special it is. So this was one of the few clubs I would leave finals for and uh I haven’t regret it one second. Not only because we won the league, but definitely also for the way I can work here on a daily basis with great staff, great facility, and uh a great bunch of players to work with. There’s been a little bit of reporting about that first meeting between yourself and Richard Hughes. Correct me if I’m wrong, but he comes to to meet you in Zilla. Yeah. At your home. What does he say to convince you? And I know it’s Liverpool, so in in some sense is where do I sign in in another respect? You’re following Jurgen club. You want to know I think you said to him, why me? Is that right? Did you need to be told anything or see anything about what the vision was to be convinced? Yeah, I’m not even sure if I asked it, but it could definitely be a question that I ask. uh if if if someone is interested or a club is interested. Why would I ask that question? Because we performed really well. We at fin we were in the final of the of the Conference League, we won the league, we won the cup. So it’s if it’s only about that about winning things, then I’m less interested. I also want to hear uh that they like a playing style, that they like player development and all these kind of things that they may maybe even like me as a person. Uh so that they did their homework if if that’s the way you say it over here. Yeah. Uh very well. Now that is almost a stupid ask question to ask if you ask this to someone from Liverpool, but if if there’s ever a club that did his homework Liverpool with all the data and all the things I I noticed this now also when we were interested in certain players. But were you surprised by how much they knew about? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And um I know now for sure. Uh but uh Julian Ward was someone that I know from five four or five years ago because I visited Liverpool once when he did the the loan. Uh and um and he said he called me I think a month before Richard called me and he said yeah I’m I’m I’m going through Europe. I want to uh I’m interested in how some certain trips work. Can I can I come to your place as well? Said yeah of course you can. So he was there for one or two days and looking back at it now, he wasn’t there for just learning something. He just wanted to know how I worked and hearing from the staff uh how the cooperation was and how we work together. So again, an example of how um what they all do to find their best possible player or manager. When you arrived here at this like incredible facility that we’re at now, what was your initial approach? What did you try to get across to the players? I know I know in the early weeks you only had a few players, but then you go to America, then the internationals come. In those early weeks, what did you try and get across? Um it’s a long time ago and a lot a lot a lot of meetings have been in between but I think but I’m not 100% sure that the main things I spoke about was of course it’s always about work rate. It’s always about putting a lot of effort in uh but also uh keeping the ball maybe in some situations a bit longer. Do not always go for the the ball that has a lot of risk but maybe wait a little bit longer for the right moment. Although sometimes the right moments is also the first pass but um that’s the biggest change from Jurgen perhaps. Um I hope people still see a lot of things the same also in that regard. So I think we are still a team that is a big big big threat on the counterattack because we have so many fast players. But I I I think you are right that there are certain parts of games where we keep the ball a little bit longer than uh than Jurgen’s teams did. Although there are of course many games that that that his teams kept the ball longer as well. But in general maybe that’s a slight difference. not as big of a difference as people say because I do read that his style of play was rock and roll and players had to run so much more I think but I I’m going to ask this question but I think I already knew know that there’s not that much difference between the amount of running the players do now and last season but the media wants to have a story so that was rock and roll with me it’s uh patience but I think both teams if we don’t have the ball are really really really aggressive we don’t go to a low block. We’re always there to press high. So, I see many more similarities than I see differences. When you walked through the door here, or maybe not when you walked through, when they walked through because the the the internationals had a longer break. Yeah. How impressed were you with the senior core of players? I know you’ve spoken a lot about this with regard to Virgil, but Allison, Mo Salah, Virgil Van Djk, Trent, that that group of kind of senior leadership that you had within the club already, the culture. Now, Mo was already there on the first day because he had the uh he didn’t had a tournament. Um, and that impressed me from the start because uh we did a test, a running test uh and he was number number one, I would almost say by far. That’s a bit exaggerated, but uh you hope for this that that one of your star players uh has that mentality to show up on the first training and be the the fittest one. Um quality was was was was good uh in the first few weeks uh in general from the players but when when our um national team players came back you could immediately see oh now we’re on a definitely on a different level over here than we were at for example the first two or three weeks I didn’t feel that there was such a big difference which is normal because we had national team players at fin as well that play with Virgil van and Ryan and Cody Kakpo for example But when these players came back, you could see ah now we’re on a now the level goes even further up. And um that was also the first time where I felt like we will definitely compete this season with the other teams. So I want to ask you, I know you’ve been asked loads about this, but the the master stroke of playing Ryan Grinberg six, what did you want from the player in that position? and and also I’m interested in how he then him playing six. Gravenber playing six then brings the best out in Alexis Mallister. Was that part of your thinking? Um I asked Ryan if he could come back a bit earlier uh than he actually did because we had a few games in in America to play and I I was really curious how he would do in that position because when we came back from America there was only two games left on the same day. I think it was Cilia and Las Palmas. So there wasn’t a lot of time for me to try something out. Uh but one of the things I I spoke to most of the players, maybe to all of them uh in um in their summer break, and one of the things Alexis said to me, and I also felt the same about it was that he has no problem playing as a six. He did quite well the season before, but he prefers to play with a six behind him. And I think that gets the best out of him. That’s also why we were interested in signing a number six. But Ryan did came back one or two days earlier. I was hoping for more but he did came back one or two games one or two days earlier and that way he could play the Manchester United game uh in that position and I immediately liked it because he was so comfortable on the ball. I think if we look back if if you watch watch this game back there’s one moment where we played the ball towards him and there was someone who tried to press him and he just used his body and the player didn’t see him back for for a few seconds. uh that the one that pressed him. So I immediately felt that that that would be a a good asset to have and then we had to find out during the first games in the season if he was defensively strong enough. Uh but he definitely was uh and um I think he’s now one of the players that has the most interceptions and all these kind of things. That’s also a team dynamic because if the if the front three don’t work enough, it’s hard for a number six to win a ball back. But um he’s he’s having all the ingredients to play in that position really well. Maybe what he what he could add to his game is maybe one or two touch play and find even more players in between the lines. Um he can take a maybe he can take Virgil as an example because Fergil is is for me our best player in that part finding players in between the lines but he’s he’s done great Ryan that’s for sure. Can I lastly ask you to pick out a significant moment or a turning point from this season? I was having a little look through yesterday. You have the weekend where you came from behind to beat Brighton, which is the same day that Arsenal lost at Newcastle and Man City lost at Bournemouth. Perhaps the win at Man City, which is uh the weekend that Arsenal lost to West Ham. And they might have expected to close the gap that weekend and instead the the gap grew. But for you, Yeah. when you look back on why you’ve done it, how you’ve done it, what do you look to? Yeah, I think if there’s only one game, then you don’t win the league. So, there are always a number of games that make the difference for you. But, um I don’t think we needed the confidence because we knew from the start that we were able to compete because it isn’t like the last few seasons they didn’t compete at all. Okay, two years ago was number six, but last season they were number three. were quite long in the race with with City and and Arsenal. So, it wasn’t a surprise to anyone anyone that we were there. But the week that we beat Madrid and City probably gave us that extra push of because we didn’t beat the the two of them by going to a low block or defending a lot which we had to do at Ben City away. U that was just defending a lot and also be a bit lucky in my opinion. Although we didn’t even concede that many chances, but it’s not the way I prefer to win a game of football, but a home game uh City, Arsenal, we were just yeah so intense that um that we deserved to win that game in the style we want to play and that that gave us a lot of confidence. I think it was not long afterwards that we also had this run of games against West Ham away where where we had a big win, Tottenham away, a big win in in in in numbers. So looking back at it, I think maybe that period of time was the most important most important part of uh of our uh of our season that gave us really that extra push to see we’re definitely able to do