Liverpool came into this match unbeaten in the UEFA Champions League so far, with three wins out of three. Bayer Leverkusen also arrived undefeated, without defeats in all matches. Leverkusen had only lost two games before this match in all competitions since Jordan Henderson played for Liverpool.

After a hattrick from Luis Díaz and an additional goal from Cody Gakpo, the Reds achieved victory after adapting to the game with a slightly cautious feeling process in the first half by both teams.

This is what Arne had to say after the match.

When asked about the team’s overall performance:

”Like many times now, coaches change their game plan when they come to Anfield or when they play against us; that’s also what we saw today. We have watched many Leverkusen games but I have never seen (Victor) Boniface play on the left. So they played without nine and that’s why they overloaded the midfield a lot. It was quite difficult to press them high. But the good thing was that we hardly conceded anything and I think that during the first half if there were chances, they were for us. But (in) the second half we were able to adapt to the game plan of the first half, we took a little more risks and we were also better with the ball. Normally they defend more in a 5-2-3, now they defended in a 4-4-2, so they changed a lot and we were able to adapt to that at half-time.”

When asked why he put Díaz in the middle and not Darwin.

”Some things (why). I only have four attackers available at the moment with the injuries to Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa, and Darwin (Núñez) didn’t play much at first and then started to play a little more. With this schedule, it’s almost impossible to play them all, especially if you haven’t played that many games before. So, combined with the fact that I think (Jonathan) Tah, who is a very good defender and is one of the best defenders in Germany, maybe the best defender in Germany, maybe he likes playing more against a man objective, someone who is there in the middle. We chose to play Lucho more on the left or in the center of the field and then maybe surprise him with runs behind, not only him but in general. “If you look at the first goal, you’ll see how it developed – what a pass from Curtis Jones.”

Arne continued to address the possibility of Diaz playing centrally in the future.

”If we have our injuries like we have at the moment, then this could happen, yes. But that also depends on who is available and how the other team lines up, what the formation is. Last season, I think if they both played (Cody Gakpo and Lucho), then Cody played as a nine and Lucho as an 11, and that is also a possibility. But then we had maybe, again, this height of Cody versus Tah instead of someone who’s a little bit more versatile and drops to midfield.”

When talking about Lucho and his performance.

”Not only do people in Colombia like and love Lucho, Liverpool fans also love him a lot. I heard fans singing their song many times. And the manager really likes him too. I don’t love him but I like him a lot! He has played a lot of games, but I just said something about Darwin Núñez: in the Premier League and the Champions League you have to play a lot of games at the highest level and it is not always possible for all the players to play all the games, especially in certain situations. positions. Therefore, if you are a centre-back, you normally don’t run as much as a left-back, full-back or midfielder, and especially our wingers. But as everyone watches the goals that Lucho scored and the goals that Cody scored, I also watch how hard they go back, how much they have to defend. I ask a lot of them, that’s why sometimes we have to rotate them. But Lucho, for me, is a starter. And I also said this three days ago about Cody: he, for me, is also a starter.”

Arne was asked how “easy” he finds managing Liverpool.

”No no. You are welcome. You just look at the results, but last Saturday in Brighton was difficult, we were losing 1-0, we had to fight very hard and I think that’s what you saw today as well. We have to work very hard, play with an incredibly high intensity to win our games, and that has a lot to do with the teams (I heard Bayer Leverkusen say this too), they think, and I have to agree with them, that Anfield It is the best place to play, one of the most beautiful stadiums to play against a very good team. So every team that plays against us is at the top of their game. And if you want to win that, you always have to be consistent in your intensity, and that’s not always easy, but it’s what it takes. And if we can continue to produce that, then it still won’t be easy, but then we’ll get our wins and that’s what we want.”

Does Arne Slot feel pressure?

”I think if you work at any club in the world, there is always pressure. So for some clubs or some coaches, there is pressure not to go down. For some, they have to earn a lot. In our position there is always pressure. This is the pressure we put on ourselves too because if you work or play at Liverpool, as a player or as a manager, you know that the manager will probably be next and many other great players have set the standard so high. here, so I always feel like there’s a little bit of pressure. But we also accept it because that is also what we want. We want to be there, where we are now, we want to compete for everything and, therefore, we have to accept that if you work here or play here there is pressure. The other side is that if you work or play here you can have amazing evenings and enjoy it because today the atmosphere… I said last Saturday, this was impressive, but I think today was even more impressive.”

Do you like Liverpool’s ability to maintain intensity to finish games?

”No, I would love to see this from the beginning, but the other team usually has (the same intensity) because when the game starts everyone is still very fit and there is a lot of intensity on both sides. What I like so far is that we are able to continue producing this energy – and even go faster – and some situations led to the teams we faced – not all, but some – having some difficulties with that intensity. But preferably we start like this from the beginning, but as I said, you have to give credit to the opponents we play. Brighton had a very good game plan on Saturday; Xabi Alonso (we all know it because of him) also had a very good game plan today, which made it difficult for us in the first half. But even if it is difficult for us, and it is not difficult in terms of them having a lot of opportunities but having a little more possession of the ball than we would like, we still don’t concede much and that has a lot to do with the work rate what the players put in.”

When asked about Curtis Jones and his form.

”I think many of them (the players) have a lot of goals and assists. I still learn daily about each player and Curtis is one of them. When I started, the first game I played as a six, which was not seen because it was behind closed doors (against Preston), but that was not his best game, from us but also from him. One of his qualities is that at the moment he can play in all positions because he is in a very good place at the moment. He is very comfortable on the ball, so you can trust him closer to your defense. But as we saw against Chelsea and we saw today as well, he is also capable of penetrating inside the 18-yard box and making the final pass. “He’s really taken a step forward after pre-season and that’s why he’s getting his chances now, because if the players do well, and I’ve got a lot of them at the moment, they’ll get their chances.”

When he heard the fans chanting his name after the game.

”It’s always better for a coach when this happens than when they start booing! It’s special. It was special from the beginning and, for that, I think I have to thank Jürgen (Klopp) because he was the one who came up with the song. It’s always special if you’re a player to have them sing for you. Some players get used to this; Not me, I was only sung at a few times during my playing career. That’s what you see a little more (and) people singing for a manager is not so common, at least not in Holland, but maybe it happens a lot here. So it was nice to hear it today, but I also really like that afterwards they sang for Xabi because he was very special for this club, so he deserves it for this, but also for his achievements in Leverkusen, last champion. year, won the cup, played a final in Europe. For all these reasons, he deserved the fans to sing for him too.”

Liverpool welcome Aston Villa to Anfield before the international break, hoping to stay top of the Premier League until December.