Sloot: Not Nervous for Home Debut Thanks to Trust in the Team; One Transfer Deal Already Completed

Sunday at 11:30 PM, Liverpool will face Brentford at home in the second round of the Premier League. At the pre-match press conference, Liverpool’s head coach Sloot discussed his home debut, transfer situations, and preparations.

Sloot said, “This is my first league game at Anfield, and I am looking forward to it. I hope the fans’ enthusiasm will be twice as high as it was against Ipswich – their passion that day was truly remarkable – which would be very helpful for the team. But I am not nervous at all. If you’re too nervous, that’s not a good thing, as it means you don’t trust the team. I believe in the players and everything we’ve done this week.”

Talking about transfers, Sloot said, “If you follow the news, you’ll know that one deal has already been completed. Don’t worry, I already have an excellent team. Some young stars leaving in the summer window? If young players want to develop, they need to play. We have many young players, and the team will always nurture young talent, but if you have Van Dijk or Salah in your position, sometimes young players have to leave because if they want more playing time and are unhappy with only getting 5-6 minutes, you must let them develop elsewhere.”

Talking about the team, Sloot said, “We are currently in good shape. I learn about the players every day and how to work with them. The players’ training performance has been great, which is very helpful. I’m still learning new things, which is normal, as some players have only worked with us for three weeks.”

Talking about the competition among center-backs, Sloot said, “Van Dijk only returned three weeks ago, which has had some impact on him, but during our time together, he has shown good performances and demonstrated his concern for the team. He needs to give good performances because four people are competing for two positions, but obviously, as long as Van Dijk is healthy, he will play.”

Talking about Gravenberch, Sloot said, “I think he possesses the qualities we need in the No.6 position, but he has only played there three times, against Manchester United, Sevilla, and Ipswich. He still has a lot to prove, but so far, he has performed well.”

Talking about Kvaernsa’s situation after the last game, Sloot said, “We had a conversation after the last match. He suffered a minor injury on Tuesday and couldn’t train on Wednesday. Let’s see how it goes today. I don’t think there are many issues between us; perhaps there was a misunderstanding due to language. I said Kvaernsa lost some duels, but it was reported as me saying he lost every duel. The next day, I told everyone that the team’s (last) first half performance was poor, but it wasn’t Kvaernsa’s fault.”

Talking about Joe Gomez not being in the squad for the last game, Sloot said, “He has been back for three weeks, and we had to reduce his workload, which is why he missed the last game. He has been performing well in training, and it’s been a good week for him. As for his future, at this moment, I hope everyone stays here, but in the world of football, anything can change.”

Talking about the opponent, Sloot pointed out, “I think Brentford have signed two talented players (Van den Berghe, Fabio Carvalho). They left because they played quite a few games last season and wanted more playing time, but the competition here is too fierce, and they can’t play every minute. In any case, I hope they don’t perform too well on Sunday!”