On Barnsley’s appeals for a penalty in the second half and if he had any concerns it could be awarded…
No, there was no VAR so when he gives it then even if he would have made a mistake, there was not a possibility to correct it. From what’s been told to me, it wasn’t a penalty and Dominik played the ball. But I have to see it back to give you my own opinion, this is the opinion of other people. I’ve seen [on] Thursday evening things twice in Arsenal’s box that were more a penalty than this one – when I just looked at it with the eye, without seeing it on video. But I could even live with the fact we didn’t get one against Arsenal, although this season we’ve conceded penalties – referees have given penalties against us – even after VAR interventions in incidents that were less than the two incidents that happened at Arsenal. But I could live with the outcome at Arsenal and I could live with the outcome today.
On Rio Ngumoha’s condition after he went off in the second half…
I assume and think and expect it’s cramp, so it tells you – it tells Rio – that I expect that a Premier League game is more intense than this one. It’s very nice for him to again make 70 minutes, but that it’s still very hard work to be ready for 90 in the Premier League. But that’s completely normal for a 17-year-old, make no mistake about that. It’s already great for him and for Liverpool and for everybody following us that a 17-year-old makes so many minutes in a Liverpool shirt. So, let’s hope he can continue and we can bring him further and further towards 90 minutes at Premier League level.
On the importance of being able to bring on senior players from the bench in the second half…
It is, for every team, very important to have strength in depth in your squad. We could see it when we played Arsenal, when they made their five substitutions. Today, I mixed the line-up a little bit, it wasn’t as Plymouth last season, it wasn’t as Crystal Palace this season in the League Cup. One, because we take this competition very serious [and] second of all because I didn’t also have the possibility to do so because I couldn’t make 11 substitutions. I could, but then I would have to look at the U21s and U18s. I think it showed tonight that we needed a lot of first-team players to win this game, so I think not that it is a compliment to myself, but I think I made the right decision to play a lot of starters. I also had no other opportunity, although I could have played four or five U21 players but I chose not to do so.
On whether he was impressed by Barnsley’s ‘resilience’…
Yes, of course. I think they can be proud of themselves, how they did and how difficult they made it for us. A game plan that looked very similar to a lot of teams that are coming here. How many games did we play this season? Probably around 30? I think 28 of my pre-match meetings I could just throw in the bin, I think only once or twice the team did what they did the 20 weeks before. Arsenal was one of them, they just played against us what we’re used to, but Barnsley always plays a 4-3-3 and today decided to go with five, which I can completely understand and which I would have done if I was their manager as well. But another time, a meeting that you try to show them what to expect, what they usually do, but they did something different, and by doing that they made it really difficult for us. So, compliments for their game plan and compliments for the desire they had, the willingness they had to fight for a result. For a long time they were in the game because I think it was the 84th [minute] I think, something like that, when we scored the 3-1. It’s a compliment to them.
