“Don't expect him to be a starter”, Arne Slot on his new signing's debut game

With his Liverpool side facing Champions League opponents AC Milan, head coach Arne Slot gave an extensive pre-match interview discussing several key matters, giving insight into his approach going into the upcoming matchup and the overall condition of his squad.

On AC Milan

Slot started with an expression of respect for the Rossoneri, identifying particularly the talent of Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, before acknowledging Milan's good recent form that had also seen them ease to a 4-0 win in Serie A. Slot is not scared of Milan. "We respect them, but we are not scared," he said, as Liverpool intend to keep their cool but also do enough homework on Milan's quality.

On the Defeat to Nottingham Forest

While reflecting on the defeat to Nottingham Forest recently, Slot conceded that Liverpool came short of expectations. He dismissed the notion that the defeat was due to squad rotation; it was down to individual performances on the day. "It wasn't about rotation, but about players not reaching their usual level," he said. Slot said the team needed to improve, above all in front of their own supporters, but that did present a new challenge.

Federico Chiesa's Availability

Chiesa was also asked about the availability of new signing Federico Chiesa, who had initially been named in the squad for the first time following his summer switch across from Juve. While Slot was excited about the potential contribution of Chiesa, he told the fans not to expect too much too quickly. "He has been with Juventus training on his own for a long time. He can make a few minutes, but don't expect him to start," noted Slot as he pointed out that match fitness would take some time to build up. This could suggest he may feature in more gradual integration into the team over the coming fixtures.

On Alexis Mac Allister

Another player who has been discussed is Alexis Mac Allister; he was taken off at the 60-minute mark against Nottingham Forest. The manager, Slot, explained this, saying it was fitness-related, as Mac Allister had returned from international duty after missing parts of it due to injury. Slot "He is able to play tomorrow again, but we will see the decision I will make tomorrow," said Slot, adding that the fellow Argentine midfielder would be fit for the AC Milan match, either for 60 or 90 minutes.
But Slot then spoke about the broader issue of squad rotation and congestion in the fixtures list as a common problem after both the Champions League and domestic campaigns. Many had played a lot of minutes during the international break; thus, Slot admitted he will have to make some adjustments in order to keep his squad fresh. In any case, he kept his mind steady regarding how he could find the right balance between putting out a competitive team and managing his players' fitness.

Final Thoughts on the Match

Looking ahead to the AC Milan game, Slot acknowledged the physical demands of the Champions League's new format, in which the number of high-intensity matches is increased. He did concede that, given the fact that everyone else was in similar situations, it was too early to know just how many points would be required to advance to the knockout stages, but reiterated the need to win as many games as possible.

In other words, Slot's comments represented a deeply contemplated balancing act between respect for the opposition, belief in his players, and realistic management of the fitness of his squad as Liverpool negotiates a testing juncture of its season.