Liverpool coach Arne Slot was at a press conference on Monday on the eve of their match against Lille. The Dutchman said he was “impressed (but) not surprised” by the performance of his future opponent.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said on Monday “impressed (but) not surprised” by Bruno Genesio’s Lille, their opponent on Tuesday, a team gifted for “press high” and not having “not afraid to start from behind”. “I’m impressed, not surprised, because two or three years ago I played against their current coach, when he was at Rennes. And I was impressed by the way his team played.said the former coach of Feyenoord, beaten 2-1 by the Bretons at the end of 2022. This season, “They deserved every point they took” in the Champions League and, yet, “they were unlucky with the draw”added Slot at a press conference. After an initial defeat against Ruben Amorim’s Sporting (2-0), Lille beat Real Madrid (1-0), overthrew Atlético (3-1) in the Spanish capital, contained Juventus (1-1) then mastered Bologna (2-1) and Sturm Graz (3-2). “I expect an open match. It doesn’t matter if it’s Marseille or Real Madrid or any team opposite, they press high, they are not afraid to come from behind. (…) This is what Lille does, and this is where they are good.noted Slot.
One point is enough for the Reds to reach the eighth
The Dutchman, however, does not rule out a change of approach from Genesio, because “many coaches have changed their game plan” usual when they challenge Liverpool. “You’ll have to ask their coach: is he going to keep the same style, or is he planning to change?“, he continued to address journalists. Ibrahima Konaté, the French defender of Liverpool, also praised an opponent “with a lot of quality”who comes to Anfield “to achieve a result”. “Maybe the teams they played underestimated them before the game. But the Champions League, we know that it is a match which brings additional energy to each player, to each team. he elaborated. Liverpool, current leaders of the Premier League, have won their first six matches of the league stage. One point is enough for him on Tuesday to secure his place in the round of 16. The “Reds” have a complete squad, with the exception of defender Joe Gomez and striker Diogo Jota, unavailable during the “next weeks”, according to Slot.
