Sloot: Chiesa Unavailable for Bologna, Liverpool Cannot Accept Mediocrity

Leisu Sports, October 2. Liverpool manager Sloot attended the pre-match press conference ahead of this round’s Champions League match against Bologna. The Dutch coach is about to oversee his first home Champions League game since taking charge of Liverpool.

Previously, two Liverpool forwards, Chiesa and Jota, missed the most recent team training session. When asked about their situation, Sloot said, “Chiesa was still training normally with the team yesterday, but today there was a bit of an issue. I don’t think he’ll be back in time for tomorrow, which is unfortunate for us and even more so for Chiesa.”

“He was looking forward to playing on a Champions League night at Anfield, especially against an Italian team, so it’s disappointing that he can’t play. It’s hard to say how long he will be out since it just happened yesterday, but I don’t think he will be out for too long. He won’t play tomorrow, and whether he can play over the weekend depends on how things go. If not, the worst-case scenario is that he returns after the international break.”

“Jota missed two training sessions after the Wolves game due to a collision, but I expect him to play tomorrow. He is available for the match.”

In addition, Sloot also discussed the previous game against Wolves and why he was unhappy with some aspects of the team’s performance: “As a team, if you have so many capable players, you cannot accept mediocrity.”

“You need to question yourself every day and every second of every game about what high standards the shirt you wear represents. My staff and I need to clearly define these standards. If we lose possession multiple times in key areas and at crucial moments over a period of 15 minutes, such performance is unacceptable.”

“I’m not someone who gets angry easily; I don’t think getting angry every day is a good thing because it would lose its effect. On the positive side, not only am I unwilling to accept mediocrity, but my players are the same way; they find it difficult to accept subpar performances from themselves.”

Regarding the team’s return to the Champions League after a year, Sloot said, “They’ve been away from the Champions League for a year, so when they step onto the field tomorrow, I hope to see them show how much they’ve missed this stage. A club of this caliber should be prepared for this, and I hope our fans are as well.”

“I hope the players can once again demonstrate to all of Europe ‘why they miss us,’ the combination of the players’ and fans’ emotions can bring a very special night to Liverpool.”