Arne Slot gives Newcastle United assessment ahead of Carabao Cup Final | OneFootball

Arne Slot has been speaking about the challenge posed by Newcastle United in this Carabao Cup Final.

Liverpool playing Newcastle on Sunday at Wembley with a 4.30pm kick-off.

Arne Slot has never been inside Wembley for a match before, even as a spectator.

So what are the Liverpool manager’s thoughts as he looks ahead to his team playing Newcastle United…

Arne Slot talking to official Liverpool media about facing Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup Final:

You’ve already come up against Newcastle United twice this season, including only a few weeks ago at Anfield. Is that helpful for you as coaches and the players, to have such recent experience of playing against them?

‘Yeah, it’s always helpful – but it’s also helpful for both teams because players have felt the quality of the other team. That’s why I am always more interested in the second leg in Europe than in the first leg because then both managers know what to expect, both teams know what to expect, and then you are interested to see how is the second leg? Where did we win things and where did the other team do better? That’s why, again, I was so happy with our performance on Tuesday.

Now, looking at Newcastle, we played them twice. In the last game [Alexander] Isak wasn’t involved, in the first game he was involved. He is such an important player for them, he’s an unbelievable threat and has the speed that, for example, the attackers of Paris Saint-Germain had on Tuesday as well and they were more than I would have liked in front of Ali [Alisson Becker] during the two games we have played them. So, we need to do even better than we did [on Tuesday] if you look at the way we have to defend the counter-attacks. But for large parts of the [PSG] game, over 90 minutes I couldn’t have asked for more.’

Are your preparations made a bit trickier by the fact Newcastle are set to be missing a few important players due to injury and suspension, because you can’t be certain what their line-up will be?

‘No [we can’t be sure on their team], but I think in this part of the season every team misses players so we will miss a few as well. That’s normal. The good thing about the Premier League is that almost every team has a lot of money so they have more than only 11 good players. We are an example of that but Newcastle is also an example of that.

So, yes, I think Eddie would have loved to play Anthony Gordon, but let’s wait [and see] how Trent [Alexander-Arnold] is on Sunday but if he is not available then I would have loved to have played Trent as well. And if he’s not available then I would have loved to play Conor [Bradley], who is certainly not available, and then again, when it comes to the Premier League, I still have Jarell Quansah, who played a great game [against PSG] when he came in. So, that tells you the quality of every squad in the Premier League – for us, but also for Newcastle.’

This is your first final as Liverpool head coach – how much are you looking forward to it?

‘A lot.

Not only because it’s a final, not only because we play it with Liverpool, also because it’s at Wembley. It’s an iconic stadium for English people but also for Dutch people. So, it’s a great occasion to be in and especially after losing against Paris Saint-Germain we are really looking forward to playing this final now against, again, a very good and well-managed team by Eddie Howe with Newcastle.’

Is this almost the perfect game to have straight after going out of the Champions League? There’s no time to dwell on that disappointment because it’s now about focusing on a final at Wembley…

‘Yeah, it’s maybe the perfect game but I think our nine games in the league are going to be finals as well so if we had to play for the league on Sunday I think we would have been up for it also. But yeah, it’s always nice to play for a trophy, it’s always nice to win something. Although it is nine finals in the Premier League the upcoming [next league] game will not be the one where we can win something, so now this is the last game of the tournament and it’s against Newcastle. So, it’s going to be an interesting occasion and something to look forward to.’

I think I’m correct in saying this will be the first time you have coached a team at Wembley? Have you ever been there even just to watch a game before?

‘Yes [it will be the first time] and no, I haven’t [been there before]. So, I’ve already said, it’s not only for English people an iconic stadium, it is also for Dutch people. I think my first memory I have of that stadium is when Ronald Koeman scored for Barcelona, their winner in the Champions League [final of 1992]. Afterwards, some Holland versus England games have been played over there – I think the Euros have been played there and maybe even Holland against England with Paul Gascoigne being really good in that game. So, I knew when I came to England that it was special to go to [Aston] Villa, to go to [Manchester] United, to go to Arsenal, to go to Newcastle, all these clubs with great stadiums, and I am really happy that after Sunday Wembley is also on my list of stadiums that I have managed at.’

Does it help that the final comes at the end of a relentless run of fixtures?

‘We have been on a relentless streak of games for four months now, so [it will be] interesting to see how other teams are able to do, like Paris Saint-Germain. Can they keep doing this? What I know is that we have been doing this for four months in a row now without any rest in between and yes, Sunday is definitely a game where we will go all in again. But this is also a quality of Newcastle – they are a team that can play on a high intensity, like Paris Saint-Germain, like us. That’s why Paris Saint-Germain went to the next round and that’s why Newcastle went to the final, because that is modern football: you need intensity to win games.’