'We're ready for the new season' - Slot confident his team can go all the way

The Reds lost on penalties to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield last week and begin their Premier League title defence tomorrow at home against Bournemouth.

Liverpool have made quality signings to their team, with the likes of Florian Wirtz, Jeremy Frimpong, Ekitike and Kerkez joining the team.

Slot began his press conference by addressing questions about Giovanni Leoni, who is expected to sign today, and Marc Guéhi, another defensive target, as reported by Sportal.

“The club has reached an agreement for him [Giovanni], but he hasn’t signed yet. When he does, I can go into more detail. Regarding the other player [Guéhi], my answer is the same as it always is in these situations. I can’t speak about him because he’s not our player. Unfortunately, he was the captain of the team we lost to. If you want to talk about him, ask [Oliver] Glasner or Crystal Palace.”

“We are as ready as we can be right now. We've lost three or four starters, and Gravenberch can't play this week, so excluding the goalkeeper, five out of ten outfield positions are different. I'm pleased with the quality of our on-the-ball play. Off the ball, we still have work to do. We’re doing well, but it’s not enough, because the standard here needs to be 10 out of 10.

"Against Athletic Bilbao, I was happy with our defending; we didn’t concede chances from open play, only from two set pieces. Against Palace, we conceded primarily when we lost possession. There’s still room for improvement, which is normal, especially considering we've lost a few key players. We’ve brought in four new players, so a period of adaptation is expected, but we're definitely ready.”

“There are so many contenders who can win this league, let alone twice in a few years, as we and Man City have done – they’ve done even better. It will be more difficult than last season because our main rivals have brought in quality players.”

“We start against Bournemouth. They were perhaps the most intense team in the league last season in terms of playing style and running. Then came Newcastle and Arsenal. The team and the manager are very good.”

The Dutchman also commented on expectations surrounding the club's record signing, Wirtz. “Wirtz is young in age, but he's already achieved a lot, so I don’t think we can view him as just a young player. He's won the Bundesliga, plays for Hungary, and his character is his greatest strength. He’s not fazed at all by the transfer fee. Good players always find a way to play good football.

"He needs to understand what we want, which is intensity. Xabi Alonso tried to use him in the positions we want, but he does need to adapt to English football and his new teammates. But if you look at the matches so far, it’s going very well. Even better than expected, and we expected a lot.”