Liverpool boss Arne Slot spoke to the media ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup third round clash at home to West Ham (8:00 p.m. Eastern Time).
Here are the key lines of his press conference:
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Slot has confirmed that Caoimhin Kelleher will start in goal on Wednesday and is looking ahead to Saturday’s trip to The Wolves as a possible return from injury for Alisson even if it will be “tight” for the Brazilian goalkeeper.
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He was impressed by Kelleher’s performance in Saturday’s win over Bournemouth: “I wasn’t surprised at all by his performance. He was very good in pre-season. It was nice to see that he didn’t concede any goals. He had to act a few times but he did it very well.”
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Slot hinted that he would rotate his squad: “We will play with the best possible team, which means that I will maybe select different players if they are a little more tired after playing a lot. They will come today and I will make the decision.”
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Federico Chiesa is fit to start but will not be able to play the full 90 minutes: “He is capable of starting in our opinion and if he does we have many options. He is capable of starting but he is not capable of playing 90 minutes at the level we will be playing at tomorrow against a strong West Ham team.”
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On 17-year-old midfielder Trey Nonyi: “Let’s see how everybody is this morning and then we’ll make a plan for each individual. The way I see it right now, there’s a good chance he’ll be in our team rather than the U21s.”
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On the importance of the Carabao Cup: “It’s not just the fans who like to win trophies, the players and the coaches too. It’s always nice to win something and I know that in the history of the club they have won this trophy many times, including last season in a very special way with a lot of youngsters on the pitch.”
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On the Hammers: “A tough start to the season but they’ve come up against some strong opponents. I’ve seen in their games that they’ve had some good spells. They’ve signed a lot of players who haven’t been put in yet but maybe they’ll get an opportunity tomorrow. They’ll come back stronger and they’ve got a good manager.”
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On Trent Alexander-Arnold’s recent positive comments about his relationship with Slot: “I think we all remember the day Jurgen left and what that meant to him. To hear him say that about his new manager after a few months is nice. It’s not always easy to come in and replace a manager like that.”
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Slot added that Alexander-Arnold’s defence was a question of “concentration”: “The only thing I know is that we are talking about a player who has won the Champions League and a league title. It is clear to me that he has been a good defender all his life. It is not a question of whether he is capable of doing things. It is more a question of concentration.”
