Premier League news conferences: Alisson out but Gravenberch 'completely fit' for Liverpool

'Isak and Ekitike are not the same player,'

Liverpool v Man Utd (Sun, 16:30 BST)

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot on the balance of keeping side fresh but also building chemistry:

"Players like Alex [Isak] and Macca [Mac Allister], those are players that we need to bring towards more playing time. You cannot go from no playing time at all to three times in a week.

"Everywhere round the world teams face schedules like this and they have more than 11 players to take on scheduling.

"The problem is if you rotate and win then you did the smart thing, if you rotate and lose you should have played the same players.

"It's impossible to play them every single game, this happened just before the international break with a few players.

"Alex [Isak] and Hugo [Ekitike] are not the same player, but they are both number nines and know how to play in our system."

'We need to do better'

Liverpool v Man Utd (Sun, 16:30 BST)

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot on his players' reaction to poor form:

"What I like about top players is they don't do anything differently if they win three in a row. They don't walk into the building thinking they are better than everyone else. They prepare every game in the same way whether they win or lose. But the outside world is very focused on results, which we are as well. We don't deny that, we need to do better. We are working every single day to make the gap between us and the teams we face bigger."

'The margins are small'

Liverpool v Man Utd (Sun, 16:30 BST)

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot on losing by fine margins:

"We've played 10, won seven and lost three. The three loses were by close margins. Twice in the last minutes, both teams got a penalty, both times VAR should have overturned the decision. But only the one we got was overturned, so the margins are small. But as I keep saying, we should not be dependent on such margins.

"Results don't lie, if you lose three in a row then you have to do better. We are aware of that and we have to react."

'Now we can judge Isak in a fair way'

Liverpool v Man Utd (Sun, 16:30 BST)

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot on Alexander Isak not scoring during the international break:

"Now he's had his five or six weeks of pre-season, fitness wide he is close to the level he should be. Now we can judge him in a fair way from now on.

"His pre-season has finished now, he's played a few games, so we see where he is in the coming weeks."

'This season we haven't had those special moments'

Liverpool v Man Utd (Sun, 16:30 BST)

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot on his side's patchy form:

"We haven't created as many chances as last season and there's a reason for that - the playing style of the opponent, and we have to find answers to that. The first answer is not to concede as many goals as we did. If a team scores one or two goals then we need three goals.

"In the first half of last season we mainly got these goals from a special moment from one of our front three, second half we needed set pieces against a low block, This season we haven't had those special moments and we haven't scored from set pieces.

"It's clear that conceding four goals from set pieces is far too much for a team that wants to compete."

'You have to react'

Liverpool v Man Utd (Sun, 16:30 BST)

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot on how Mo Salah might react to his start to the season:

"If you have lost three games in a row and you wear a Liverpool shirt it doesn't matter who your next opponent is, you have to react. Not only from Mo [Salah] but from all the players."

On the importance of facing Manchester United:

"I look forward to every single Premier League game, but maybe more the Man United one because I know how special it is. We know it's the game that is perhaps watched the most all over the world. It's a game we have to be at our best, because in my opinion United have had a better start to the season than the league table suggests."

'We are conceding too many goals'

Liverpool v Man Utd (Sun, 16:30 BST)

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Arne Slot on his side compared to last season: "If we compare ourselves to last season we don't create as many chances as we did at the start of last season. But we are still the team that from open play creates the most xG and shots on target, but we are conceding too many goals.

"We have conceded nine goals and four from set pieces, but that is not a reflection of the chances we have conceded. The other five were from fast breaks and open play, from open play we are conceding too many crosses, that is something we have to address and do better at. We are facing more long balls."

Crucial period ahead for Newcastle United

Brighton v Newcastle (Sat, 15:00 BST)

Ciaran Kelly

BBC Sport Newcastle United reporter

So begins a crucial period that will tell us a lot about this Newcastle United side.

Eddie Howe's team will contest seven games in three competitions in just 22 days before the final international break of the calendar year next month.

And there is no time to breathe.

Newcastle simply cannot afford to sleepwalk back into action, particularly with an awkward trip to Brighton to come on Saturday.

Ahead of the game, at his morning news conference, Howe is sure to give an update on the condition of internationals like Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton, who have not long arrived back from representing Brazil in Asia.

Expect the Newcastle head coach to be asked about Yoane Wissa's chances of making his debut next month as the summer signing continues his recovery from a knee injury and to offer the latest on Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento's spells on the sidelines.

And he will also speak about Ross Wilson’s appointment as sporting director for the first time following the Scot’s arrival from Nottingham Forest.

Liverpool, Man Utd prepare for another high-stakes game

Liverpool v Man Utd (Sun, 16:30 BST)

If their most recent meeting is anything to go by, Manchester United's visit to Liverpool could be a blockbuster in the waiting.

United produced one of their best displays under Ruben Amorim to earn a superb point against the Premier League leaders on their last trip to Anfield back in January.

The visitors took a shock lead when Lisandro Martinez opened the scoring early in the first half but Liverpool were level seven minutes later through Cody Gakpo.

Mohamed Salah then pulled them ahead from the penalty spot with 20 minutes left but United were not to be denied as Amad Diallo found the equaliser.

While Liverpool were the winners at Old Trafford last season, the rivals played out two draws during the 2023-24 season while there was also the memorable 4-3 win for United in the FA Cup quarter-final.

Amorim's side suffered a shock exit from Carabao Cup to Grimsby Town this season and have three wins, three defeats and a draw from seven league games.

Which version of Manchester United will we see on Sunday?

Is Salah undroppable?

Liverpool v Man Utd (Sun, 16:30 BST)

Phil McNulty

BBC Sport chief football writer

I've seen every Liverpool game this season bar the Carabao Cup tie against Southampton and, for all the wins at the start, they have not looked right from day one.

I think bringing in so many players means it always takes time to settle, no matter how good they are, but the balance just does not look right with Florian Wirtz behind the strikers.

Liverpool have looked far more exposed, not helped by Ibrahima Konate's poor form and two new very attack-minded full-backs in Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez.

Is Mohamed Salah "undroppable"? Very few players are undroppable at some point in their careers and there is no doubt he has not been himself this season. And don't forget he is 33.

World-class players very rarely decline overnight, though, and I wouldn't back against him making a big contribution to Liverpool again this season?

Will Arne Slot occasionally take him out of the team? Yes, I can see that, as he did against Galatasaray in Istanbul last week.

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