The Dutchman spoke to reporters at the AXA Training Centre on the eve of the Anfield clash, which sees the season resume after the November international break.
See what Slot had to say on Friday morning below…
On whether Liverpool are likely to bring in a centre-half in the January transfer window…
This was one of the questions I didn’t expect, talking about signings in the winter break. I think there are so many games to be played before that and in the position we are in it’s the last thing that’s on my mind. Maybe not on Richard Hughes’, but it’s the last thing on my mind. It’s not a topic at all for me at the moment. We have at this moment of time three centre-backs – with Joe Gomez included, of course – and maybe Ryan [Gravenberch] and Wata [Endo] who can play in that position. Maybe you are not aware of it yet but we have other positions at the moment which are a bit more of an issue.
On ‘how perfect Liverpool will need to be to retain the title’…
I think I’ve said many times already that at this moment of time we are not even thinking or talking about that. Actually, we didn’t do this last season as well when we were top of the league. It’s just about the next game. I’ve said many times last season and I say this this season again as well, the best way to judge a league table is after 38 games. But the next best thing, in my opinion, is after 19 games. Let’s see where we are then. But at this moment of time, the only focus we have is winning games of football – which actually was the same last season at this moment of time.
On Andy Robertson’s interview after Scotland qualified for the World Cup and the squad’s grieving of Diogo Jota…
We are always judged – sometimes fair, sometimes unfair. I saw the interview as well live. I know that is an issue for us, which I think is completely normal. But in these moments of time we, I, always think about how much it feels for his wife and his children, because that’s so, so, so much harder for them than it is for us. But that we miss the player and the person, that is completely clear. Maybe it tells you even more now we play Nottingham Forest; last season we were 1-0 down at Forest and it only took him one minute to score the equaliser. So now I’m talking about the player that we miss for sure, because this time we haven’t managed to come back as many times as last season after being 1-0 down or a goal down. He definitely played his part in that last season. But that we also miss him as a person, that is completely clear. But again, his wife and children will miss him so, so, so much more. His parents, by the way, as well.
On the reminders of Jota…
I think it’s good for us to [remember] him every time possible because [of], like I said, the person and the player he was. But it’s impossible to measure what it does to the players and then to measure what it does to our results. The last thing I would do is to use it as an excuse because simply I don’t know. What I do know is that we miss the player – that’s 100 per cent sure – and we also miss the person, but I cannot measure what impact that has on our performances, let alone on our results. That’s impossible for me to say and we will never use it as an excuse because that doesn’t feel right.
On the differences with Forest compared to last season…
True, two changes [to the manager]. Not one manager is the same as another one but the playing style of Nuno [Espirito Santo] comes closer to the one of Sean Dyche than it comes closer to the one of Ange Postecoglou maybe. Again, not similar but closer. So, I think it’s probably going to be a similar type of game than it was the last time we faced them now, with Sean Dyche taking over from Ange Postecoglou.
