Round-upArne Slot press conference: Newcastle trip, Gravenberch return, finding 'balance' and more

The Reds' second fixture of the new campaign takes them to St. James' Park to face Eddie Howe's Magpies, who finished fifth in the 2024-25 Premier League standings and thereby qualified for the Champions League.

Slot previewed his side's trip to Tyneside by attending a press conference at the AXA Training Centre on Thursday – read a round-up from it below…

• LFC injury update: Jeremie Frimpong out, Conor Bradley back in training

On what he expects from Newcastle on Monday night...

I think if you go to Newcastle you know what to expect. We played them three times last season and twice their intensity levels were above ours. In the away game, especially in the first 60 minutes, they were so, so, so intense and fully deserved to have the lead. In the League Cup final, they were more intense than us as well. So, I don't think they need anything to add for them to be intense if they play at St. James' Park.

Apart from the intensity, it's a very good team, they have also a team that can make it a fight if you want to call it like this, they have players for this but they also have players that are so comfortable on the ball. So, one of the best teams in the league and one of the most difficult away games you can have in the season, especially as you say here, 'under the lights'.

On how important the return of Ryan Gravenberch will be for the team's 'solidity'...

I think a lot. At least if he is the same player as he was last season, that could help us a lot. If you just simply look at the second goal we conceded [against AFC Bournemouth], they could just go from one side from the 18-yard box to the other side without being attacked, which was smart because Virgil [van Dijk] and Ibou [Konate] needed to go back because it was a four-versus-two situation.

I think if you look back at last season and every single time he played, Ryan would have been in that position and for him not being there and us playing with very good players but very attack-minded players, that hurt us in that goal, for example, and that wasn't the first time where we lacked a player in that position on a counter-attack for the other team. Normally, if he brings his normal level, it would definitely help us to have him back again.

On having extended time to train with the players between games...

It is helpful but we did have a good pre-season; we had six weeks compared to last season when we only had two. We had six weeks as well, but only two with most of the players, so we've had our time to train already and I think that is also what you could see in the Bournemouth game because if you look at the data and running stats, it was the most intense game that was played at the weekend.

That tells you our match fitness is where we want it to be and where we need it to be if you want to go to Newcastle, by the way. It is also clear in pre-season, I [changed] up line-ups and then it is normal that you see every time the right connection between some players or some lines. That was already very good against [Athletic Club] Bilbao and OK-to-good against [Crystal] Palace and Bournemouth.

On the substitutions he's made this season...

Most changes I've made in the game are due to match fitness and players who were not available in the whole pre-season. So Hugo Ekitike, for example, that I took off twice, needs to make a step from Bundesliga to [the] Premier League and missed out a part of pre-season, and you want to keep him fit for the upcoming games, weeks, months as well. It's the same with [Alexis] Mac Allister, who was not able to start, in my opinion, yet against Palace but I think he needed playing time. It's the same why I started him against Bournemouth. Was he already on the top of his level? No, but to get there he needs playing time. So, I had to take him off. We've just spoken about Jeremie [Frimpong], who comes from a different league.

So you sometimes need to take this into account, although that's sometimes difficult for a fan or a pundit because they are like, 'You need to win this game.' Yeah, we need to win this game, but we need to keep them fit for the rest of the season as well. And we do have players on the bench that are equal to the ones that start, so then you need to use your squad. I see it as a coincidence that we've conceded our goals after the substitutions, but time will tell if I'm right or wrong. But on the other hand, we also scored a goal after a substitution – two, by the way, from Federico [Chiesa] and Mo [Salah].

On Newcastle...

I don't think they are a club with troubles. They had a very good start to the season against [Aston] Villa, a good game for them. I think they were able to get more out of the game than the one point they got. So, it's mainly difficult because of the players they have there – not only because of the fans but the atmosphere is great, like it is at Anfield. So, we are used to a certain environment but St. James' Park, if I just remember last season when it was an evening game as well, by the way, the atmosphere was amazing and it will be the same.

But why the atmosphere is amazing [is] because the players can perform, they can add to the atmosphere by being as intense as they were, bringing the quality as they brought in that game. So, that's going to be the challenge. The challenge is also playing in a stadium where the fans will be there for the home team, and that always helps every home team. I can tell you about us, so the last 15 to 20 minutes at Anfield, it wasn't a coincidence that we scored twice because the fans helped us in that moment of time.

But if you only have fans and you don't have the players then you can forget it. The main thing we have to be ready for are their midfielders, their last line, their three forwards, although I assume – I'm not sure but I assume – [Alexander] Isak is not playing from what I read in the media. But they still have Anthony Gordon as a nine, they still have [Anthony] Elanga as a right-winger and [Harvey] Barnes from the left, and then Jacob Murphy isn't even playing, who was very good against us twice last season. This is the Premier League, we all have a lot of options and Newcastle have them as well.

On whether he was 'surprised by some of the criticism' after the Bournemouth game...

Of course that has something to do with the bar we've set, and I agree we were at some moments too open. The first goal was, I think, mainly unlucky that we lost the ball in a position we shouldn't lose it and then we were three against three, which is normally not a problem but we had a disadvantage to our opponent. [The] second goal is definitely being too open. So if all your three midfielders are inside the box – where we were just talking about Ryan – that's too open, so I agree on that.

But also the reason why we scored the 3-2, it was one of our midfielders, Curtis Jones, [who] arrived in the box and made it difficult for the goalkeeper, the ball fell to Federico. So, it's also who we are but we need to find the right balance by not being too open. But that balance will be better with Ryan. Unfortunately, if you want to judge me or us, we now have to play Newcastle and Arsenal, who are normally teams that are going to be above Bournemouth in the league, so it's even harder to play against them.

But with Macca being back, with Ryan in his normal position, I expect us to be even better prepared for the counter-attack than we were in this 2-2 moment, because I've watched the game twice back and I don't think – apart from the two goals, especially the second one as a counter-attack – there were many other counter-attacks from Bournemouth. But if it leads to a goal, it's of course a big story. For us conceding two, that's too much in a home game, that's too open.