Slott: Arnold is a world-class full-back and leaving is a difficult decision for him

May 12th According to Liverpool's official website, Slott was interviewed by reporters after Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Arsenal.

About Arnold

Some people are not satisfied with him, and I don't think anyone wants him to leave the club. But some of them expressed their dissatisfaction by booing, while others applauded him. All I can say is that I have a responsibility to the players, the clubs and the staff, and they have put in a tremendous effort to win the game. The score was 2-2 at 70 minutes, Connor Bradley couldn't continue the game, and I had a world-class fullback sitting on the bench, so I switched him on the court. I think this is a great affirmation of him, because you can imagine how complicated his emotions were at that time, but the fact that he was able to perform like this proves why I think he is a world-class full-back. Because after he got on the court, we almost won the game, and that's my responsibility to the players who work hard every day in the locker room: make a decision and strive for victory.

For him, this is indeed difficult, because he himself said how difficult it is to leave the club. This is also what we need to hear, because we have to make it as difficult for him to leave as possible. Fortunately, players like Van Dijk and Salah chose to stay, but Arnold made the decision to leave. But maybe he would be pleasantly surprised by his reaction today. I didn't ask him, but I don't think the reaction was all negative. Everyone cheered for him as he was ready for a free kick and he almost scored. So I'm not sure if he has negative emotions today. Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. But as far as I know, the situation is not as bad as you think.

Regarding whether Arnold's substitute appearance distracted the team

I'm glad you asked this question because it's a positive side. Within three to four minutes after he came on the court, we also replaced Jota and partnered with Nunez with the striker. From that moment on we controlled the game and soon Arsenal got a yellow card and then turned into a red card (Merino), so I didn't feel any interference. I want to praise him and the entire team. I think the last 15 to 20 minutes were the best time we had in the second half, although the first 20 minutes were not ideal.

Reactions about fans

I think applause is not as loud as booing, but I don't count how many people are booing him, and how many people are applauding him. As I said, they have the right to express their opinions. First, they pay tribute to Gerald again for all he has done for the club. Then they sang for Connor Bradley, who deserves all that because he played 60 or 70 minutes of good balls. Although he failed to block the cross in that goal 2-1, I will tell him this week that he played well, and as for the ratio of booing and applause, I don't know what it is, but I know that applause is less than booing.

Regarding the last game against Crystal Palace, I don't think anything can undermine our joy of winning the 20th League title. I was here two weeks ago, nothing, maybe something will happen, but those things will be much worse than what we are talking about now and may weaken our championship celebration, but that's not something I want to consider now.

Regarding whether to consider excluding Arnold from the roster for the last two games

What I'm thinking about is how to win the game, and if I think Arnold can help us win the game, I have a responsibility to his teammates and fans because they hired me to win as many games as possible. If I thought Arnold would increase our chances of winning, I would have him on the field. But if I think, even though I don't think so, he will be a distraction or influence us to play well, then I may make other decisions. But today Arnold's performance proves why I'm going to get him on the court, as his several wonderful crosses almost helped us win the game.

Regarding the performance of this game, unfortunately, we played as lack of intensity in 15 to 20 minutes as we did last week against Chelsea. It wasn't totally bad, but we did a great job in possession in the first 15 to 20 minutes of the second half and created a lot of opportunities, but weren't decisive enough on the last pass and one shot. Defensively, the few goals we lost last week let us look at them from a positive perspective. I saw this in the 15 minutes of the second half, but we played well in the first half, and I think that's why people love the Premier League: two great teams competed against each other and contributed a great game, and both sides showed a very high level.