Round-upArne Slot press conference: Marseille challenge, Salah return, Van Dijk and more
The Reds have travelled to face Ligue 1 opposition on Wednesday evening (8pm GMT kick-off) in the league phase of the competition at Orange Velodrome.
Shortly after landing in France, the head coach sat down with the media to discuss the fixture and a range of other topics.
Read what Slot had to say during the briefing below…
On whether there was a team meeting on Monday following Saturday's Anfield draw with Burnley...
I'm not aware of what Virgil [van Dijk] actually said [to the media after the Burnley game], but I think as always we had a post-match meeting led by me. I think once this season, as far as I am aware, the players came together - I don't even know which game that was, it was months ago already. So, we did have a post-match meeting to talk about all the positives we did in that game, but also show where we can do a little bit better to make sure if you have a performance like that where you have so many shots - [the] most shots by any team in the Premier League this season - that then doesn't result in a draw but ends up in a win for us.
On Van Dijk's impact at Liverpool as he prepares to make his 350th appearance for the club...
It's been unbelievable, of course. Won the league twice and won the Champions League and some domestic cups as well. Apart from that, I think he only had one big injury in his career at Liverpool [and] it's not even fair to take his age into account, maybe, but for him to be as fit as he is for such a long period... because, as all of you see, I play him almost every game. The level he brings is still very, very, very good for us. To be fit every single three days - after two days of rest we need to go to Bournemouth again [this weekend] - and it's not only him, all of these players that are overloaded quite a bit because we have three big, big, big injuries and why we have to many times play the same players and Virgil is one of them. To stay at that level and constantly be fit, and for all the things he has won for this club, then that is only positive.
On facing Roberto De Zerbi in the Marseille dugout...
I regard him as one of the best managers in the world. In my opinion, it should not always be judged on the amount of trophies you win, it should also be judged on the fact of how you let your team play. I think he is already working at a very big club because Marseille is a very big club, [both] at the moment and history-wise as well. I'm not the one that is hiring coaches but if I was one, he would definitely be very high on a list if I worked at a big club. I always like to watch his teams.
He is working in France now, so I follow the English league a little bit more, of course, but when he was at Brighton I saw his teams playing more. He's a very good manager, it's not always fair to judge managers only on what they win, the style of play should also be very important as well, in my opinion, and the development of players. That's what you see with him, that players always develop very well and then sometimes when he leaves these players are not as good as they were with him and that usually tells me how good a manager you are.
On Mohamed Salah returning to club duty and his relationship with the forward...
As normal as it has always been. There was only one exception and that was the game against Inter where I didn't take him. But for all the games he was there, in the last game he was at Liverpool before he went to the AFCON, he came in after 15 or 20 minutes. I think he had a very good performance in that game. We were 1-0 up at the time and we beat Brighton with 2-0.
I think he left in a situation that was good for him and for us because we beat Brighton and he played again and then he went to the AFCON. Again, he did what he usually does, scoring goals. Unfortunately, he couldn't win the tournament but there were other very good teams in that tournament as well, but he got to the semi-final and now he's back with us. Of course, I spoke to him today and I'm happy to have him back because, as I said, this season I've only had two wingers who would tell me that is their favourite position that have played more than 100 minutes in the Premier League. That's Mo and Cody [Gakpo].
There are other players that can definitely play in that position really good, by the way, as well, like Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz. But if I ask Florian what his favourite position is, I don't think he's going to tell me left or right winger. I think he's going to tell me another position. But he's able to play there really well and Jeremie is the same. I think he's mainly played as full-back but he's shown, especially also in the last game and also against Arsenal, [just] how much of a threat he can be off the right side. In the last game against Burnley, he played as a full-back, by the way.
So, to have Mo back is of course helpful because in his absence we have created a lot of chances and not always converted them. I think I saw today that he scored 45 goals for Liverpool at Champions League level, and the next player is a player with five goals: Virgil van Dijk. It's nice to have him back, especially if he is able to reach that level again where he was able to score the 45. That's what he can show tomorrow evening.
On Dominik Szoboszlai's goalscoring abilities...
He's one of the players that is the best if he plays in midfield. This year I had to use him a lot as a winger or as a full-back as well, which is a position he can play but for obvious reasons I had to play him in different positions because players weren't available for several reasons. That Dominik has had a very good time here in Liverpool already [for] two-and-a-half-years, but I can say most about the one-and-a-half years I'm working with him. He's been very important to us and the team.
He could've scored a goal more, by the way, if he would've scored his penalty this weekend! I think it was his second miss from 22 or 23 penalties. It's probably not a coincidence it happened in this season. Every time, like when Alexander Isak scores his goal, and we're think he's going now, he gets injured for three months. When we have a very good game against Arsenal, in the last minute it's a big injury for Conor Bradley that makes us sad again. If we're 3-2 up against Fulham and we think we're going to go, and we concede a 3-3 in extra time.
If we're 3-2 up against Leeds in extra time and we concede the 3-3 again. It's a constant repetition or moments where we hurt ourselves or we get injuries. But this team has shown many times this season and last season that we are able to fight back in difficult circumstances. This club has shown that many times and even this year the amount of setbacks we've had. The mentality they have shown every single game that they go out there, because there's not one game except maybe for the [Manchester] City game where we were outplayed. In the first half, not for the whole game. Maybe [Crystal] Palace first half - Palace was definitely the better team [then] on the pitch as well.
This team has shown so much mentality doing it with a squad, because we have a few long-term injuries, it's almost every time always the same players that we have to give these players, Dominik is one of them, it's a lot of credit for the mentality they've shown this season.
On the relationship between himself and Salah moving forward...
I think I just answered that question already. There's been a moment in the season where I decided not to play Mo. And there's been one moment where I decided not to take him to the game [against Internazionale]. For all the other games, he's been always in the squad, and I brought him in as the first substitution against Brighton, so at that moment of time there's never been an issue for me. But at that moment of time, I think the outside world could see there was no issue. The first time he's able to be in the squad again, he is, because he trained with us today and is in the squad for tomorrow. Let's see for the line-up tomorrow if you still think there's an issue.