With the new Premier League season about to kick off, Liverpool manager Arne Slaughter said at the pre-match press conference that the team is ready for the title defense and is looking forward to the opening game at home against Bournemouth.

Liverpool will begin their 2025-26 title defence at Anfield on August 16th against Bournemouth, who repeatedly threatened them last season. Slaughter admitted that the team underwent significant squad adjustments during the off-season.

At the pre-match press conference, Slote said: "We lost three or four main players from last season, and Ryan Gravenberch and McAllister missed most of the pre-season due to injuries. Coupled with the integration of new players, the starting lineup has five positions different from last year."

Despite this, Sloter was satisfied with the team's overall performance: "I was happy with our quality in terms of possession. Without the ball, we were excellent most of the time. But at Liverpool, the standard is 10 out of 10, not 8, so the details in defense still need fine-tuning."

Slote pointed out that the team had satisfactory defensive performances in the pre-season, such as when they almost lost no chances against Athletic Bilbao, but it also exposed the shortcomings of set-piece defense.

Slote spoke highly of their season opener against Bournemouth. Recalling a 3-0 victory last season, he said: "The score looked easy, but they actually had the first good chance of the game and scored a goal that was only narrowly offside."

“We then went on to take a three-goal lead but they fought hard in the second half and that fighting spirit has been there all season. They are a very good team with a great manager. It’s even harder to play them away from home and it’s a night game at Anfield that everyone is looking forward to.”