Every word of Arne Slot’s press conference ahead of Liverpool’s Premier League game against Manchester City

Arne Slot was back in the hotseat at AXA Training Centre rgis afternoon - just hours after answering questions from the media following Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League.

The Reds manager was clearly pleased with the result, a win against the reigning champions and 15-time champions but pointed out that other, equally-tough tests are coming up thick and fast.

The Madrid game started a demanding run of matches for Liverpool, who entertain Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday, then travel to Newcastle then Everton. The derby game will be significant in that it will the last one to be played at Goodison (at least in the league) and for that reason, their city rivals will be even more up for it than usual.

But for now, the leaders are focused on the next big battle - against Guardiola’s City. Here’s what Slot had to say in this afternoon’s press conference.

Arne, last night Jude Bellingham said that Liverpool is the best performing team in Europe. So, where do you rank your side?

Yeah, if he talks about results in the Champions League - so, if you are number one in the Champions League in the league table, the it’s true that when it comes to results we have been, in the last five games when it comes to results, we have been in the last five games the best-performing team. But I said it yesterday - already, the best team in Europe is still Real Madrid because they won the Champions League last season, and the one that wins it this season can say that they are. But at this moment in time, it is only five games in - for us.

We touched on it last night - the injuries to Conor and Ibrahima - are there any updates on them and whether they’ll be out for Sunday’s game?

They’re still being assessed, so it’s difficult to see where they are - in terms of the injury... Let’s wait and see. It’s never a good sign when you have to take players off. Ibou didn’t walk off the pitch as he should after such a fantastic game that he played. He should have taken a lap of honor and clapped the fans but unfortunately he couldn‘t, so that’s not a good sign.

The team is eight points clear right now, and Manchester City look vulnerable considering their recent form. There is a chance to go 11 points clear, or the gap could be reduced to five... How defining a moment could Sunday’s game be in the title race?

I think in general if you play one of your competitors it is always an important moment that has not so much to do with the amount of points they have or we have. These teams have always been in the last few years very close to each other, so those games are always very important. Just like the ones against Arsenal and Chelsea, but those ones are only important if you win against all the other teams so that makes it that almost every game is very important to win - for them but also for us.

Just to make it clear, with Bradley and Konaté, are you ruling them out of this game?

No, I’ve just said they’re still being assessed. It’s so close after yesterday’s game. I’ve just come off the training pitch so I cannot tell you exactly where they are. We have to wait and see.

Will Trent be fit enough to start?

Yes, he will.

You said about City’s run of form, do you think that makes your job easier or harder for this particular fixture...

No I don’t think anyone in the last eight or nine years, or maybe even longer, would have said that City at home or away, the word easy never comes into my mind when I think about City - neither easy nor easier... No not at all. And I know everybody is looking at their results and I’ve seen them as well, but if you face them - and that’s what we do - you analyze it and I have seen, for example, against Brighton they were 1-0 up and could have scored for two- or three-nil, didn’t, and then got beaten 2-1.

Against Tottenham after 20 minutes they could have been two or three goals up... weren’t. And against Feyenoord, that has not happened many times - they were 3-0 up, completely dominating the game and then all of a sudden, in the end it was 3-3. They are still a very, very, very good team and one of the reasons why I think Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the world - or one of the best managers in the world, but I think the best though - is that he always comes up with solutions for his problems. And his problem now might be that Rodri is out but we all know, at least I think, that he will come with a solution and their run of form will go again - hopefully after Sunday.

It looked like the players were pretty clumped by the atmosphere in the first half and that came along with three yellow cards. There was a moment where Curtis Jones signaled to his teammates to maybe keep their heads and watch out for those bookings...

Especially if you have a yellow then you have to watch out for the next one, but I think one of the three was Ryan Gravenberch, who made only a simple tackle, or not for a yellow, but then he made a gesture and the referees are quite keen on giving a yellow for that. And the first two fouls we made, he also gave a yellow. I think these games, you have to be on top of your game in every aspect, so you have to play fair and good duels and sometimes that can lead to a yellow card, but then if you have received one you have to be smart and that’s what I saw with Ryan and that’s what I saw with Darwin [Núñez] as well - because the one Darwin conceded was also in the set-piece and they were struggling a bit and the referee found it necessary to give yellow cards.

So, we have to be on top of our game, we have to be aggressive, but always in a good way. But maybe what Curtis meant, I don’t know, we have to ask him but it’s not only without the ball but also with the ball - be a bit more calm and use your head a bit more, because that’s what we did in the second half even better than the first, which led to two goals.

I know we’ve spoken about injuries, in previous games it’s been brought up with you - injuries with opposition teams and the players they might be missing. Do you think that Liverpool’s injuries have been a bit underplayed this season, given that you’ve overcome them quite well...

I think in general people only talk about injuries if the results are not there, so it’s a good thing that nobody talked about our injuries. That means that we got our results in. But the moment you start to lose, it’s about a kick-off time on a Saturday afternoon or it’s about injuries or we always come up with certain ideas why, especially me, and why we didn’t win. But nine times out of 10 it’s about the quality of the players from the other team or their game plan.

But we do have some very important players for us being injured but if the replacements do so well, it’s normal that people don’t talk about it so much. It is true that missing Alisson, which has been a starter for this club and been so important for this club for so long, missing Diogo Jota, missing Trent in the last two games... those are players that have had impact a lot on the results in recent years. But it’s a good thing we don’t talk about it I think.

What’s Caoimhin Kelleher’s future at this club given how he has performed? Do you think he’ll be happy tpo go back to being second-choice?

I am expecting every player wants to be the No.1, not only in the goalkeeper position, but in every position. It’s always up to the player if he can accept his role. At this moment Caoimhin has accepted his role from the start of the season until now in a great manner - when he didn’t play but also when he did play, so it’s far too early to talk about what can happen next season. I want every player that they want to play every game. It would be completely wrong if he would’ve come over to me and said, ‘I like it that I’m on the bench today.’ That’s completely normal with him and all the others.

But then it’s always about the attitude if you don’t play and that has been outstanding. For example, from Lucho and Macca last Sunday when they weren’t selected in the first XI and then they come in really strong. Yesterday I saw the same again with Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo so... They should have the eagerness to play but if they don’t, they have to act in a normal way and that’s what they all do at the moment.

One of the hallmarks of City’s run is that they are conceding late goals - six goals in the last 15 minutes in the last three games. That’s something Liverpool haven’t done all season. What are your team doing so well to avoid that?

Not playing Tottenham yet! Because they are a very good team as well, a great playing style. No, it always depends on the circumstances. Them conceding three against Feyenoord probably had a lot to do with the substitutions they made and being extremely unlucky. If you saw the first goal and the second goal. The second goal, the goalkeeper hit the ball towards the post and then it fell to Santiago Giménez.

During a season these things can happen to every team, that’s the same with injuries. We’ve seen this at Arsenal with Ødegaard being out. That didn’t help them. With Rodri being out it didn’t help City.

So, I’m hoping we are not facing those same problems but if it does then we have to make sure it doesn’t hurt us that much. But it’s always difficult for every manager everywhere around the world if one of your star players is injured.

When it comes to goals conceded it’s always the circumstances of being 2-0 down and then maybe taking a lot of risk. Then conceding is different to than being 1-0 up and trying to keep a clean sheet.

Do you expect Guardiola to alter his system to combat the loss of players like Rodri?

That’s what I just said, I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes up with another brilliant idea. I think he was the one who started playing the inverted full-back. Then he was the one who started to play a centre-back as a number six.

So I don’t think it’s a surprise for anyone if he again comes up with something that no one has ever thought about before to make his team even stronger.

And that’s probably one of the reasons why he inspired so many managers around the world with all these... When he came up with it, we’ve all thought it was crazy and then he did it and then we all thought, ‘OK, let’s try to do the same because it’s a brilliant idea’.

So I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes up with something new again, but let’s wait and see because many things have been done in football now. If there is anyone in this managerial world that can come up with something new, it’s definitely him.