Arne Slot Addresses ekitike Sending-Off, Chiesa‘s Impact & Isak‘s Debut Goal
Liverpool manager Arne Slot began his post-match press conference by highlighting a moment of respect for Matt Beard, stating the tribute given was “of Liverpool standards” and expressed pride in the club’s fans for their consistent show of respect towards those who have contributed significantly.
The conversation quickly turned to Hugo Ekitike’s sending-off in the closing minutes of the game, receiving two yellow cards.Slot didn’t mince words, describing the first yellow as “needless” and “stupid,” adding, “it was. The first one was already needless and partially stupid, because you have to control your emotions.” He acknowledged the challenges faced by forwards, noting defenders “can almost do everything he wants,” but stressed the importance of emotional control, referencing his own red card against Everton last season as an example of a “stupid” reaction.
Slot further elaborated on the incident, stating, “If you score in a Champions league final in the 87th minute after outplaying three players and hitting it in the top corner, I can maybe understand that you’re like, ‘This is all about me, what did I do?’ but I am old fashioned, I’m 47 and old maybe.” He contrasted this hypothetical scenario with his own approach, saying, ”If I would have scored a goal like this, I would have turned around and walked up to… Federico Chiesa and said, ‘This goal is all about you, this is not about me.'” He concluded, reiterating his assessment: “needless, not smart. You call it stupid. I call it stupid, by the way, as well.”
shifting focus to Federico Chiesa’s performance, Slot emphasized the importance of effort. ”I think what you want to see… is players that try and work hard,” he said. He noted Chiesa’s involvement in the team’s first goal, stating, ”it is fully not a coincidence that Federico picked the ball and assisted on the first [goal] because he was the one, in my opinion, that was most involved in the game, tried the most, worked the hardest.” He also highlighted Chiesa’s role in the second goal, praising the “great ball by Robbo [Andy Robertson]” and Robertson’s understanding of the game.
slot connected individual effort to team opportunities, explaining, “That’s also the way to get yourself either back in the team or get as much playing minutes as you want.” He acknowledged the team was comprised of players new to playing together and returning from periods of inactivity, but stressed his expectation of hard work.He concluded by stating he was “happy with a few individual performances but far from happy with a few other individual performances,” but declined to name specific players,adding,”But I think these players who I mean,I think they know already.”
