Arne Slot press conference: Man City challenge, Wirtz, Jones, Kerkez and more

The Reds host Pep Guardiola's outfit at Anfield on Sunday afternoon in a 4.30pm GMT kick-off on Merseyside.

See a selection of what Slot had to say ahead of the fixture during Thursday’s media briefing at the AXA Training Centre...

Jeremie Frimpong and Joe Gomez fitness update

On facing Manchester City...

Well, I mean [what] you remember is that a game we played over there in the first half we were completely outplayed for large parts, not for a complete 45 minutes, but for large parts. It's another moment for us to see where we are in the development of this team. That, of course, being said, we also know the importance of a result on Sunday but that goes for all the 20 teams that are playing this weekend in the Premier League.

It's the end phase of the season so results matter more and more. [They are] a very good team that were even able to win yesterday against the team [Newcastle] that we beat during the weekend not even with their starters. That tells you combined with the game we played against them what a force City still is and always will be.

On whether the performance against Newcastle is as well as his team have played this season...

No, I think we played much better than that to be honest. It was a good last hour. The first half hour wasn't as we wanted it to be. Again, for obvious reasons, because if you dive into data... the first half hour, we didn't play that much. There were a lot of set pieces which took a lot of time. Then it's difficult to find momentum and to find the same tempo and pace as we had in the last hour. I liked our last hour but for me it wasn't our best. I think we've played many games of really good football.

Unfortunately, we were not always able to be that good in both boxes. Now in the last two games we've been really good in both boxes and then people start to notice that our football might be better as well. But that football part has always been for 95 per cent of the minutes we played, for me, far above an acceptable level. But both boxes have been not good enough throughout maybe 95 per cent of the time. Now in the last two games that was and then all of a sudden there's not only the performance, but the result looks different as well.

On what he liked about the performance against Newcastle...

A combination of many things. I think off the ball we were really good. The third we scored came from a high press and a very good transition moment. We had a few very good transition moments. I see also individual performances that are getting better and better and better, because these players are getting fitter and fitter and fitter and are adjusting more and more towards Premier League, Champions League amount of games. We are going to a week where we have to, again, play three games in seven days, and not the most simple ones. It wasn't as if we had a very easy FA Cup draw. So, three strong teams to face in seven days again. That is another challenge that we are facing this week.

On Florian Wirtz's form...

I think it's all, first and foremost, always credit to the player because he has to do the work not only on the pitch, also in the gym. And then as a manager, even if he is maybe physically struggling a little bit in the start, you need to keep on playing him because that's the only way players can improve. He is an example of that where I had many of them this season. So, I think he did not even improve that much on the ball because from the start he was special on the ball.

Maybe now he has a better connection with his teammates because he played more and more together. That's also what you get if you play them more and more together. But off the ball I see the biggest improvement with him and with some others. That combination makes you ready for the Premier League, because the Premier League is about both. It's not only on the ball, it's also definitely off the ball.

On Curtis Jones’ role within the squad…

I think what you've seen. He's played a lot of minutes, not all of them, but I think he's also unlucky in the sense it's probably the only line where we haven't had injuries. Still, he's played a lot of minutes, so that's why, of course, why we kept him as well because we have in deadline a lot of players but we need these midfielders in different positions as well.

The moment you start to need midfielders in different positions, the line in midfield gets, smaller and smaller. Of course, we kept him and his situation hasn't changed. To us, he's one of the 16 outfield players we have available for long-term now and also at this moment of time with, two, really young players with Trey [Nyoni] and Rio [Ngumoha] included. It would be a bit strange if we would let anyone go if you only have 16 available.

On Milos Kerkez’s development since he joined the club last summer…

This is what you get if you play longer together with your teammates. This is what you get if you keep playing those players, even if they are maybe in sometimes having moments in games that are not as good as other moments, or games that have not been as good as other games. This is also normal for younger players and the only thing you can do as a manager is keep trusting them and keep believing in them because we know, we signed [him], we saw his potential and we knew - and it already has been shown - that potential will be seen if you keep playing them.

But there are a lot, a lot of games to be played and for him, it was the first time the combination of Premier League and Champions League, that's why I'm also so happy to have Robbo [Andy Robertson] in the squad because he has helped the team on multiple occasions as well. But definitely Milos is another example of a very young player we've signed where the best of him is still to come and he's already developed this season.

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