Slot: Surprised by Isak, praise for Wirtz - and wish for UEFA
Liverpool won another late game, which naturally pleased Arne Slot. The coach also gave special praise to debutant Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz – and expressed a wish for UEFA.
In a good mood: Reds coach Arne Slot. IMAGO/Shutterstock
"It's the second year in a row that I've had to celebrate my birthday on a Champions League night—and for the second year in a row, the players gave me a nice gift. I'd like to ask UEFA if I can celebrate my birthday with my friends and family next year," Slot said, expressing a small wish for the coming season.
Last year, Liverpool won 3-1 at Milan on September 17, followed by a 3-2 victory against Atletico on Wednesday, with Virgil van Dijk scoring the winner in the second minute of stoppage time. "That's the mentality this team has, but it shouldn't just be about mentality. It's also about how fit we are, how well prepared we are, so that the team can push one last time," said Slot, who was delighted with "another great evening" at Anfield. "I think that's what the format is about, what UEFA probably wanted: to have a first game in the group stage that could have been a quarter-final, semi-final, or round of 16 match."
Liverpool once again lived up to their reputation for scoring late goals this season. It was the fourth time in all competitions that the Reds have scored after the 90th minute. Slot's team has won all of its games with goals after the 80th minute.
"We played really well, had a lot of chances to end the game early, and then you face a team with a strong mentality like Atletico. They always find a way to get back into the game—and that's exactly what they did. The good thing for us is that we have the same mentality," Slot said happily.
Slot demands "a bit of time" from WirtzIt was also the evening that record signing Alexander Isak made his first appearance for Liverpool. He only played until the 58th minute, when Hugo Ekitiké came on. "I was pleasantly surprised by how fit he was for the 60 minutes, but that perhaps tells you that there might be a difference between signing a 20-year-old from another league and a 25-year-old who's used to playing in this league," Slot said. "His quality didn't surprise me, because we all know that. You don't have to be a manager to recognize how much quality he has."
German international Florian Wirtz also has quality, of course, although he's still lagging behind his own expectations in terms of scoring points. However, the former Leverkusen player also received praise from the boss. "He was close to scoring or assisting a goal a few times. I think he was the one who created the most chances for us today. So I can see that he's getting fitter and adapting more and more to us," Slot said, adding: "You need a bit of time to adjust. We all know how much quality he has, but sometimes people forget that he's a 22-year-old going abroad for the first time."
