Slot Delivers Insights on Gravenberch's Development at Liverpool and Salah's Sensational Performance

The Dutch manager addressed the media before Liverpool's upcoming match against Crystal Palace, emphasizing the importance of maintaining their position at the top of the table.

Slot spoke on Gravenberch and Salah, two key players who are thriving this season under their new manager.

“I think why players play well has first of all to do with the quality they have as players. Mo has a lot of quality; Ryan has a lot of quality. Actually, every player that plays here has a lot of quality. Now it's up to us – and I say us because it's not only me and my staff, it's also the players – to play in the best possible way as a team and then individuals will do special things. It was an unbelievable finish from Mo (on Wednesday night) but the only reason he got the chance to finish was because Trent Alexander-Arnold made an overlapping run and that's why it opened up on the inside. 

“If you give that space to Mo, he can score a special goal. That's about his quality. It's about Ryan's quality, but the amount of times Virgil (van Dijk) or Ibou (Konate) play balls through to Ryan where Ryan can turn and play his balls towards all the good attackers we have, that makes it in my opinion a team performance, which is really good. Then as a result of that you see individuals playing well also.” 

He went on to say that Gravenberch’s progress at the club is not surprising as he develops into a solid part of a title chasing midfield under Slot's new tactics.

“If you look at all the signings we have made at this club in the past I don't know how many years, most players were under 24, 25. I think there is also a reason for this, because you expect players from 22, 23, especially if they come to a club like Liverpool and this environment and the way it works here, that you expect progress, more than you expect it probably from a player that is 33 or 34.  

“Then it is not that big of a surprise if you bring the quality (of someone) like Ryan Gravenberch in that if you start to work with him, do the right programme and he has the teammates that he has, that he can progress. And that's what we are seeing at the moment. Now it's up to him to keep the standards as they are at this moment. That is a challenge because he, like all the others, has to play every three days.  

“That is also a challenge for all of us, but also for him because he hasn't played a lot of games last season. I think now he already played more 90-minute games than he did in the past two seasons. So, interesting to see how he copes with it but until now he does really well.”