Well worth a read from Arne Slot on Newcastle United – After it ended Newcastle 3 Liverpool 3

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·05 de dezembro de 2024

Well worth a read from Arne Slot on Newcastle United – After it ended Newcastle 3 Liverpool 3

Arne Slot watched on, as Wednesday night ended Newcastle 3 Liverpool 3 at St James’ Park.

What a match.

Vídeos OneFootball

Newcastle easily the best team in the first half, Alexander Isak scoring a brilliant goal.

The second half a more even affair, end to end stuff.

Arne Slot seeing his team twice equalise, before then Mo Salah scoring his second goal and Liverpool’s third on 83 minutes, to seemingly win the match.

Only for Fabian Schar to score a stunning strike on 90 minutes, from what looked an impossible angle.

Arne Slot speaking after Newcastle 3 Liverpool 3:

Arne Slot asked whether defensive injuries in his squad means matches that are more open are to be expected?

“Kostas Tsimikas was already out before we played [Real] Madrid and [Manchester] City, Conor [Bradley] was out before we played City and Ibou [Konate] didn’t play City as well and we kept a clean sheet two times against the best teams that have dominated Europe for so long.

To go away to Newcastle is such a difficult game to play and they have so much quality, throughout the whole squad but especially up front as well.

“So that they are able to score a goal, that’s not a surprise for me and especially the first one, what a finish that was: from them I mean, ours was a great finish as well, but that shot from Isak, I don’t even know if Caoimh [Kelleher] saw that goal, as hard as it was.”

Arne Slot on whether he was pleased with a point or disappointed to have dropped two?

“There were moments in the game where you thought if we could come away from here with a draw it would be a good result, but those moments were mainly in the first half.

“In the second half, especially after we scored for 1-1, I thought we were really impressive.

“We created so many opportunities, good chances.

“Then, one minute before the end being 3-2 up, it feels like a disappointment to drop two points.”

Arne Slot on his Liverpool team improving after the break:

“I think Mo had a massive impact on the game as well. Dom [Szoboszlai] came in really well, Lucho [Luis Diaz] also, but I think in general in the second half we played much, much better than the first half.

“In the first half we had a lot of problems with their intensity, aggressive playing style without the ball – aggressive in a good way.

“We tried to cope with it, but every time we touched them we got a yellow and that doesn’t really help for us to be intense then as well.

“But we give credit to them, they were more intense than us. They forced us into too many mistakes.

“It wasn’t that difficult for us to be better in the second half with the ball and that’s what we were.

“Maybe it was difficult for them to keep the intensity of the first 45 minutes going and as a result of that, or of all of these things, we dominated the second half.”

Arne Slot asked about Mo Salah and his future?

“It is difficult for me to predict the long-term future, the only thing I can expect or predict is he is in a very good place at the moment.

“He plays in a very good team that provides him with good opportunities and then he is able to do special things.

“What makes him even more special for me is before we scored for 1-1 you thought, ‘He is not playing his best game today,’ but then to come up with a half-hour with an assist, two goals, having a shot against the bar and being a constant threat, that is something not many players can do if they’ve played the first hour like he did.

“So, that is also what makes him special, apart from if you just look at the goals. His finishing is so clinical. A special player, but that’s what we all know.

“I have seen many games of last season but it is always difficult to judge a player if you are not there. What I did most was [look at] style of play and team performance and not that much the individual performance and what I noticed from the start, when he came in [in pre-season was] how fit he was, how ready he was to make it a very good season for him.

“That he led by example from the first day onwards in pre-season where so many of his teammates who he usually plays with, so the international players, were not there and to still be able to work that hard, he did, and train so hard: yeah, and then we all saw the quality in the training sessions. So it’s not a surprising thing for me that he’s done so well until now.”

Newcastle 3 Liverpool 3 – Wednesday 4 December 7.30pm

(Stats via BBC Sport)

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Isak 35, Gordon 62, Schar 90

Liverpool:

Jones 50, Salah 68, 83

Possession was Newcastle 41% Liverpool 59%

Total shots were Newcastle 17 Liverpool 16

Shots on target were Newcastle 6 Liverpool 5

Corners were Newcastle 5 Liverpool 6

Touches in the box Newcastle 21 Liverpool 35