In the second round of the Premier League, Liverpool beat Newcastle United 3-2 away. After the match, Reds manager Arne Slot was interviewed by camel.live. Slot stated that his side simply couldn’t play attractive football today and had to fight for every inch.
Reporter: Congratulations on taking all three points. Was this the result you planned for?
Slot: You obviously hope for it, but you also know how difficult it is to come here and play. Last season was really tough for us—whether it was against them at Wembley or here, it was extremely, extremely hard. The last time we were here, we conceded a goal in the final minute; today, we scored one in the final minute. It’s fair to say that every time these two teams meet, the game is always very tight.
Reporter: Especially the intensity in the first 30 minutes of the first half—it’s probably the highest we’ve seen from you anywhere this season so far.
Slot: That wasn’t playing good football; that was pure competitive intensity. Their fans were brilliant too, giving them great support, and their players gave everything. But what reassures me is that even though our fans weren’t as loud as Newcastle’s, they still did their best to support us, and we held on. We had to defend against so many set pieces throughout the game. I know we conceded two goals, but it felt like we had to deal with 350 set pieces in total (an exaggeration)—especially after it was 2-2, they had 3, 4, 5 consecutive set pieces. The fact that we still stood firm in that situation, I really liked that. Because we’re usually known for playing good football, but today that was impossible. We just had to fight, and we did that.
Reporter: The celebration after the third goal said it all. Did you think the score was going to stay 2-2 at one point?
Slot: Actually, after it was 2-2, they were really close to making it 3-2, like I just said—they had some corners, throw-ins, and free kicks around that time. I had to wait a long time before I could bring on Nkounkou and Elliott because they’re not the tallest, and substituting them in at that moment wouldn’t have been wise. They were already standing on the touchline ready, but we only made the changes once the situation calmed down a bit. There might have been a bit of luck involved, but that goal was our best attack of the second half, and it turned out to be an excellent finish.
Reporter: Since we’re talking about physicality—this league is intense and physically demanding. I noticed you’ve substituted Wirtz in all three games. Do you have any slight concerns about how he’s adapting to the intensity and physicality of the Premier League?
Slot: Not at all. A 22-year-old young man coming into this league—our first game was against Bournemouth, who were the most physically intense team in the Premier League last season. Then you come to St. James’ Park, especially for us coming here, the intensity is far higher than you’d expect for any game. For Wirtz to play 70 minutes in that environment, 75 minutes or even longer today, that’s already special. The same goes for David—this shows how much effort they’ve put in to adapt to this intensity. Because the intensity of this league is completely incomparable to the games they played in the Bundesliga last season. Especially games against Bournemouth or away to Newcastle, it’s a whole different thing. This is a very good league, but the level of intensity against these three teams has been exceptional.
