Liverpool manager Slot pushes for Alexander-Arnold to deliver peak performance, says Zack Oaten

It was heartwarming to hear and read those words. We all remember the impact of Jürgen's departure, underscoring the depth of the relationship he shared with his former manager. To hear him speak positively about his new manager just a few months after the transition is truly special.

“It’s always good if they had such a strong relationship, and a lot of them, maybe all of them, had that with Jürgen. It’s not always easy to come in and replace a manager like this, and that he feels it like this is a positive thing, I think. But it’s the same with him as with all the others, they all get a lot of individual attention to try to make them better because if they get better then the team will get better as well.” 

He also spoke on the team’s defensive record this season and how the reliance on the goalkeeper has been an issue so far. 

“Yeah, the defence has been really good although I think in the last game I think we needed our goalkeeper too many times to keep the clean sheet. And I think it was yesterday or the day before I looked at the league table and, ‘OK, which teams did we face until now and which position are they? Are they in the top half or the bottom?’ 

“I think all of them apart from (Manchester) United, I’m not sure about United, but most of them are in the bottom half of the table, so you have to take that into account as well. There are a lot of difficult teams we still have to face and if we are able after playing those teams as well – and after West Ham United tomorrow we go for two difficult away games – let’s see where we are then when it comes to conceding goals because maybe the fixture schedule has been ‘nice’ to us when you see the league table. And from the five games we have played three times at home, so that helps as well.” 

Alexander-Arnold commented on how he is working with Slot on the defensive side of his game and the manager explained how this training is important for the team to improve defensively and as a whole. 

“Yeah, it’s difficult for me to judge how it has been in the years before but the only thing I know is that we are talking here about a player that won the Champions League and won the league title and he mentioned himself, Trent, that winning the league is about defending, so it’s clear to me then that he has been a good defender all his life.  

“But because he is so, so special with the ball, the main emphasis goes to him doing special things with the ball and I think with him it is not about if he is capable of doing things, it’s more can his concentration rate constantly be in 100 per cent focus, that’s what it’s more about with him. 

“So, this is what we talk about a lot, that he has to stay active in every situation of the game, even if the ball is further away from him. But it’s not that we or I taught him to defend in the last three months: he’s won the league and he’s won the Champions League, so it’s just getting him to understand all of what is necessary to play the best possible game. That’s what we talk about with all the individuals but also with him.”