Arne Slot said he was pleased with Liverpool's 4-1 win over Newcastle, but added that due to the Reds' position on the table, there is still plenty of work to do. He also addressed the pairing of Florian Writz and Hugo Ekitiké, as well as Ibrahima Konate’s emotional goal.
A Results-Driven Business
Even though the Reds have outscored opponents 10-1 over the last two matches, Slot knows that Liverpool have to keep the good results coming.
“We are in a results-driven business,” Slot said. “I said after the Bournemouth game that we had to improve in both boxes. After outsourcing teams 10-1 in the last two matches, it’s safe to say we have seen a big improvement, but we have dropped so many points, we are certainly aware that this is not enough.”
It Takes Two
Hugo Ekitiké scored two goals in less than two minutes for #22. Slot says that Ekitiké and Wirtz are developing a special connection on the pitch.
"I don’t think it comes as a surprise to anyone – definitely not to me, because the more players play together, the more they can find an understanding,” Slot said. “And I’ve tried to explain why it was difficult for them to play earlier in the season every three days again, and now they are able to do that, because they can keep going. They can play more often together, we can play more often with the same team or same combinations, and, as last season has shown, the more you can play together, the better it is.
"And I’ve always said that I would love to play, not love, but I prefer to play as much as I can with the same 11. But for obvious reasons, that wasn’t always possible, but now it’s more and more possible and then you can also see that connections are getting better and better – not only with these two but also with other players.”
Konate’s Big Goal
With the Reds already leading 3-1 in stoppage time, Ibrahima Konaté scored off a corner. The goal did not change the result, but it meant a lot to the club as Konaté is just returning to the team after compassionate leave.
“He had a very difficult two weeks and probably still has a difficult time,” Slot said. “But we spoke at the end of last week when he said, ‘I’m planning to be back in the end of this week.’ So that would have meant that he did not, could not, have played this game. But when he saw all the problems we had defensively he called me early this week to say, ‘I want to be back to help the team against Newcastle,’ and he came back Wednesday, trained twice with us and today not only he scored a goal, but I think he played a great game and the fans were really appreciative throughout the whole game. But then definitely at the end when he scored, and his teammates were just as appreciative when he came in the dressing room after the final whistle.”
LFC Globe Verdict
This is more like it from the Reds. Back-to-back impressive results from the defending champs while outsourcing opponents 10-1. With all the noise around the club, it’s good to see the team is sticking together, as seen in the celebrations after Konate’s goal. I think this game marked a turning point in the season.
