Liverpool head coach and Sporting Director Richard Hughes on building on Klopp's successes
Liverpool head coach and Sporting Director Richard Hughes on building on Klopp's successes
05/07/2024
AXA training centre, Liverpool, England
05/07/2024
AXA training centre, Liverpool, England
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SportsTranscript
00:00Hi, guys.
00:07Morning.
00:15We have the new Liverpool head coach, Arnaud Schlott,
00:18and we also have the new Sporting Director, Richard Hughes.
00:22Just a bit of housekeeping before we start,
00:24we'll be at Bake Off for the Davies, next door with Arnaud,
00:28if you'd like to ask a question, please raise your hand,
00:31and if you are to ask a question, please tell us who you are,
00:34who you also wait for.
00:37Vinnie.
00:39Arnaud, Jürgen when he arrived said he was the normal one,
00:42how would you describe yourself?
00:47I think it's not about what I tell you now,
00:51it's more special what Jürgen did to this club,
00:53so when he arrived he said he was the normal one,
00:56but I think what made him special is the impression he left behind.
00:59Winning trophies, of course, but his playing style, I think the fans loved it.
01:05Maybe he said he was the normal one, but I think the fans see him differently.
01:10Maybe not as a person, but what he did for the club was more than normal,
01:14let's put it that way.
01:16Obviously we've seen the rivalry with Manchester City and Pep Guardiola,
01:20we've seen the emergence of Arsenal,
01:22we know the threat of the likes of United potentially strengthening again, Spurs, etc.
01:26So what expectations can you have on the season at this stage?
01:31I think you said it correctly, if you work in this league everyone gets better every season,
01:35so it's also important for us to improve.
01:40And one of the things is because our competitors improve as well,
01:44but that's normal if you work in the biggest league in the world,
01:47you can expect other teams to become better, and that's also the aim we have.
01:51And that's also the reason why we come in every day,
01:54to make the team and the players better.
01:56Richard, can we ask you what it's been like working with Arne over the last few weeks,
02:01and also what you've been able to accomplish,
02:03in terms of identifying transfer targets to bring in,
02:06and also sorting out the futures of the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold,
02:09Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk?
02:11A lot of questions there.
02:13It's been great to work with Arne,
02:16clearly it was a difficult position at first,
02:19because we both had jobs to finish where we were,
02:23and of course it was an important season to finish here at Liverpool.
02:27Since then we've been in communication daily,
02:30obviously on many things, logistics, organisation,
02:33and of course preparing the transfer window,
02:37which is something we will know more about as we go on,
02:40because clearly the more time we spend with the current squad,
02:43which we're both delighted to have inherited,
02:45it's a very talented squad,
02:47and we need to improve, and we need to improve on the training pitch,
02:51first and foremost, as Arne said,
02:53and with the window open we will always be opportunistic if we can,
02:57if we can improve certain areas as we go, we will look to do that.
03:01Contractual situations I don't think would be fair for me to talk about,
03:06I think these are private matters between club and players,
03:10the only concern that I have, that Arne has,
03:13about those situations and everyone else in the squad,
03:16is that it is total commitment from the players to the cause for next season,
03:21and we're absolutely convinced that that is the case.
03:33When Jürgen, parts of Jürgen's success was that people said he got Liverpool,
03:38he got the city, I'm just wondering how you will allow yourself
03:44to get Liverpool and get the city,
03:46what do you do to integrate yourself with the club and the city in advance?
03:53I think it takes some time to understand everything,
03:56but the way I'm going to use my time in the upcoming weeks
04:01is of course to make the team and the players in the best possible way,
04:05for us to be ready for the first game.
04:09It always helps if you get to know the city,
04:12the manager and everybody knows it helps even more if you win most of your games.
04:17So I think with Jürgen it was a combination of getting to know the city,
04:21getting to know the style of play the fans like,
04:24and I don't want to take words out of Richard's mouth,
04:28but I think one of the reasons why he came to me
04:32was that our playing style is not so much different,
04:35so we both like the fans to come into the stadium
04:39and see a team that plays with a lot of energy, that plays good football,
04:45and I think that is the thing I'm focused on most,
04:50and if we do that in the best possible way that probably will give me some time as well,
04:55and if I have time I can then get to know the city a bit better.
04:59But it all starts with improving the team and winning as many games as we can.
05:05Hi, Julia from BBC Radio Merseyside.
05:08Last season, due to a lot of injuries with senior players,
05:11we saw a lot of the younger members of the squad being used by Jürgen,
05:15and they certainly stood up and were counted when it was needed.
05:18Are you someone that likes seeing that working with the younger members of the squad,
05:22bringing them through, and will they have that same opportunity this season to play?
05:27I like to see good players, and if they are old or young that doesn't matter that much,
05:33but it's always nice for a club and also nice for a team that young players come through the ranks,
05:38I think that's the right words to use.
05:42That always gives energy into a club as well,
05:46so that they are not only the players that are brought in from other clubs,
05:50but also the players from the academy.
05:53But in the end it's all about the quality, and I agree with you, they did really well.
05:59So, if they continue doing so, there will be a fair chance that they will play as well.
06:24Getting to know the people that work here, which I've done already of course,
06:27getting to know the players, especially as a person, but mainly as a player,
06:33because I've seen a lot of games from them, I've seen a lot of training sessions,
06:37but I think you get to know them even better if you are there with them together.
06:42And then implement playing style, but it's not that we're going to change everything over here,
06:48because a lot of things are done really well, but we have to find ways to improve.
06:54And I took my time for that, because I was off for a lot of weeks,
06:58so I had a lot of time to look where we can improve,
07:01but I think starting to work with them will actually give us even better insight
07:08in the improvements we have to make.
07:14As a head coach as opposed to manager,
07:17how do you understand the dynamic, how it's going to work with transfers,
07:21in terms of your influence on that?
07:24For me it's not a change, as you might know, because in Europe we work like this,
07:28and I've worked at Feyenoord and my former clubs like this always.
07:31I think there are not many clubs in the world, maybe there are not even clubs in the world,
07:35where there is one person that decides everything.
07:38So it's a calibration, is that the right word to use?
07:41Calibration.
07:43Between people.
07:45There are many sports directors that bring players in that the manager or head coach doesn't like,
07:50and it's the other way around.
07:52But it's not only the two of us at a club like this,
07:55there are many more people that can bring in their opinion,
07:59and that's the way I've worked in recent years, and I like to work like this, to be honest.
08:06Some people would have been put off by the prospect of trying to follow in the footsteps
08:10of such an iconic figure, is that something you had to mull over,
08:13or is that just yourself?
08:16No, not at all, actually.
08:19You can look at it both ways, there are big shoes to fill,
08:23but you can also look at it in a way that you inherit a squad and a team that has a winning culture.
08:29And one of the reasons to come here, and there are always more reasons for this,
08:34but one of the reasons is that I do feel we have a real good team, a real good squad,
08:39and I think as a manager you want to work at a club where there are good players
08:45with the opportunity to win something,
08:48and the past has shown that there is a possibility for Liverpool to win some trophies.
08:53So, yeah, I think you can look at it in a way to be the successor of someone who is really successful,
09:00but I look at it in a way that is ideal, because there is an opportunity to win something,
09:07and I like to work with players, I like to develop them, but I like to win as well,
09:12and there is an opportunity at this club to win.
09:17Hi, I'm David from ITV.
09:19I think Jürgen Klopp has a fan seeing your name in the final game,
09:23he also spoke with him, was there one piece of advice or one thing that he said to you
09:27about the club, about this role, that stood out to you?
09:31We've spoken about many things, but I think it's not more than normal
09:35that the things we've spoken about stay between us,
09:38so him singing a song for me was special, because I don't think many...
09:43There are not many managers where the fans sing for, maybe not the best English to use,
09:48but I was fortunate enough that after a few years at final they started to sing for me,
09:53but now coming over here without even working here yet, without winning a game,
09:57already fans singing for you, that's a good start.
10:01Jürgen's rivalry with Pep Guardiola really captivated the Premier League,
10:06how much are you looking forward to that challenge as well?
10:13Something to look forward to, but I think there are many more good managers in this league,
10:17which is normal, because English people like to believe it's the best league in the world,
10:22and I believe this as well.
10:26So it's normal that if you work in such a league there are many good managers,
10:32which you're going to face, and Pep is one of them, that's for sure.
10:37I think it was last time when I had the interviews with Liverpool,
10:41I'm lucky enough that I lived in an era where I could see the Barcelona team,
10:45that's one thing we have in common,
10:48but when Pep left over there there came a new era,
10:51and that was the rivalry between Liverpool and City.
10:55So I've seen a lot of that rivalry and a lot of games of both teams.
11:00I'm looking forward to work here, but not specifically playing against Man City,
11:06because there are many nice teams we're going to face,
11:10starting with Ipswich, of course, which is at this moment the most important one.
11:15One about Richard, a question for you.
11:18Can you just explain the criteria used to pick Arne?
11:22I know he's mentioned the play style and success,
11:25but what are the elements that fans should be looking out for?
11:29Yeah, so that philosophy, that playing style that attracted us to Arne,
11:34is based on subjective footballing opinion and data, as well as you'd expect.
11:40And in all the metrics, Arne's final team came out really well.
11:44The way they played with a real front foot, attacking football,
11:49played with intelligence, played with passion,
11:52I think those are all attributes that we would welcome here at Liverpool.
11:56I think they lend really well with the current squad that we have of supporters,
12:01and the football club as a whole.
12:03Do you believe that this play style is the best play style there is?
12:08Or does Arne have his own style?
12:11Yeah, I think it depends on the situations that you have.
12:14I think it depends on the players that you have,
12:16the players that you would like to recruit.
12:18I think this way of playing, this style of playing,
12:21that Arne has obviously been very successful with,
12:24is the most attractive to watch, in my opinion.
12:27But I believe it will be so in the opinion of the football fans,
12:30and that's the most important thing.
12:32I think there's a duty here to play that type of football,
12:35rather than trying to grab games by the scruff of the neck.
12:38And I don't think that's how every Liverpool team that I've seen in recent memory has done that.
12:44As Arne said, it's not going to be a hugely different approach and style
12:48to what has been so successful in the foreseeable past.
12:52And, yeah, we hope to emulate that again.
12:58Hi, this is Koen van Dijk from The Netherlands.
13:00Good to see you here, Arne.
13:02You captained Virgil van Dijk, and presumably also Mo Salah.
13:05Can you tell us anything about the desire and hunger you felt in these conversations
13:10for them to keep performing in Liverpool and keep winning trophies here?
13:14I think in general every top player wants to win, I assume,
13:19and I'm hoping Virgil first wants to win the Euros.
13:22LAUGHTER
13:24Maybe not everything is in one line in their area.
13:28But then when he comes back after he enjoyed a few days of his holidays,
13:32he will come back and all these players want to win.
13:36They have the hunger to win.
13:38If you don't have that, you're not playing for a club like Liverpool.
13:41You felt the hunger to stay in Liverpool as well?
13:44I did, yeah.
13:46Did you tell Koen van Dijk to slow down in the Euros?
13:49No, I'm hoping he will step up a bit even more, especially in the semi-final.
13:57Yeah, first quarter-finals.
13:59Hoping to see them playing the England national team in the semi-finals.
14:03So we are hoping and expecting him to do even better.
14:06No, Cody has a very good tournament, like his last one,
14:09the World Cup was really good for him as well.
14:11He's been impressive till now, and I can only hope for him
14:14that he can continue doing so in the upcoming games.
14:19Simon Stone, BBC.
14:22Just going back to Jamie's point on following someone like Jurgen Klopp,
14:27do you have to think about what you're going to say to the players?
14:31Because there's something unquantifiable about a manager
14:35who's been in charge for so long,
14:37that the voice and the messaging is consistent and the demands are the same.
14:42You've got to go in and impress those players as well.
14:46Yeah, but that's a general feeling,
14:49it has nothing to do with who's worked here before.
14:52As a manager, you go to bed at night and you think about what you're going to do
14:58and what you're going to tell the players every day.
15:01That's not only before your first day, that's during your whole period where you work.
15:06People tend to look at us and think we're only thinking about the tactic board,
15:11which we do a lot as well, but it's also about convincing players
15:14and the way to talk to them.
15:16For me that has nothing to do with being the successor of Jurgen,
15:19that is something that's part of the job,
15:21that you think about, OK, how can I get the best out of the players,
15:24what way do I have to approach them as an individual or as a team?
15:28So for me that's not something...
15:32I have Jurgen in mind, what would he say?
15:35No, that's not the way I look at it, but it is,
15:38OK, I get to know the players, which is the best way to approach them
15:42and get the maximum and the best out of them.
15:45Richard, could I just ask you, you mentioned before
15:48about the players and the contracts.
15:52In general it's been very quiet in the Premier League
15:55in transfer terms apart from that flurry of activity
15:58at the back end of last week, which Liverpool seem to end up getting involved with
16:03by someone offering you a player.
16:07Do you think that will change as we get nearer the transfer window deadline
16:14or do you think there is not a lot of money for any team at the moment?
16:19It's hard to say, and to speak industry-wide,
16:22I think naturally when there are major competitions during the summer,
16:26World Cup or European Championships, in this case it's the Copa America,
16:29and the Olympics as well, so there's a lot of football being played,
16:33and naturally the attention is going to be there,
16:37and I think that after the flurry that there was in June,
16:41I think it will calm down a little bit now,
16:44would be my prediction for the month of July,
16:47and then like always when August starts
16:50and coaches have had more time to work with players,
16:54I think then the opinions will be more set at football clubs,
16:59and then you may see a situation in August,
17:02which is like in previous seasons,
17:04there's a little bit of a hurry to get things done
17:07and to make sure that everyone's squad is in order.
17:09I don't think this will be any different,
17:11who knows what will transpire economically,
17:14it's hard to say, and speak for other clubs,
17:16but that was probably the case in June,
17:18and why situations accrued as they did,
17:21but I'd see a quiet July and perhaps a crescendo in August
17:24would probably await us all.
17:31I'm just wondering whether you've been to Anfield yet,
17:33and how much of a factor the idea of managing in front of the Anfield crowd
17:38was in your decision to come to Liverpool?
17:41I've been there twice, once as a fan,
17:45and once when they showed me not only this training facility
17:50but also the stadium.
17:52One of the reasons to join Feyenoord was that I think my playing style,
17:56the way I would like my teams to play,
17:59it's nice if you have the fans that appreciate that style
18:03and they are special in the league in Holland,
18:06everybody would tell you that the Feyenoord fans bring more energy to the team
18:10than every other fan does,
18:13and this is what has been told to me about the Liverpool fans as well,
18:17not only told to me, I think if you watch a lot of football,
18:21and I've been there once myself,
18:24I also felt what it means for the fans to see the team playing.
18:29So it's a win-win situation, a very good team to work with,
18:34but implementing a playing style that is going to be similar but a bit different as well,
18:41that will lead to a lot of enthusiasm by the fans,
18:45and if that's going to be a good cooperation, the two of them,
18:50then hopefully it will lead to special things.
18:57I speak to fans every single day,
18:59the dominating conversation right now is your defence system,
19:02obviously you've seen it at the Feyenoord a lot, 4-2-3-1,
19:05at Liverpool we're accustomed to seeing 4-3-3s,
19:08is the formation and the system something that's negotiable with your ideology,
19:13or will you look at your players and take the assistance of the players at your disposal?
19:20I'm a bit sad, that's maybe not the right word,
19:24but I was hoping if people looked at my team
19:27and they would not say it's 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3,
19:30or whatever formation you want to call it,
19:32I was hoping they would say,
19:34OK, there's a lot of freedom when they have the ball to take it in different positions,
19:38so sometimes it's a 4-2-3-1, sometimes it's a 4-1-4-1,
19:41sometimes we do build-up, we're free.
19:43So there's a lot of freedom when we have the ball.
19:50But if we don't have the ball, there's not so much freedom,
19:53then we want to be really aggressive,
19:55and that's why everybody mostly keeps his position.
20:00So I wouldn't put myself in a situation where I say I prefer 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 or 4-1-4-1.
20:06There's a lot of players taking in a lot of different positions,
20:12so if you would have asked me I would have said we play 4-3-3,
20:16instead of 4-2-3-1 as Feyenoord.
20:19But we did build-up a lot of times, we're free.
20:23Full-backs have different roles.
20:26I'm curious, who told you that we've played 4-2-3-1?
20:30Maybe that one should go to get his licence...
20:33LAUGHTER
20:36..or analyse a bit better.
20:39Hi, I just wondered if you could tell us a little bit about the backroom staff you've put together
20:44and what they will bring to the table,
20:46and if there's any scope for further additions to that as well?
20:50I think what has been announced already is Sip Kjelsof,
20:53who I've worked with at Feyenoord and our former club Cumbria Liverpool as well,
20:58so he's sitting here in the room as well, like you probably saw.
21:02That's been announced already, the goalkeeping coach has been announced,
21:05I haven't worked with him, but we've spoken to the two of us
21:09and we're really happy that he's going to join our team.
21:14And we're expecting two others to join us, or can we...?
21:19More announcements to come here.
21:21More announcements to come.
21:23LAUGHTER
21:24In the near future.
21:30I was just wondering, what's the chat you've had with the owners since you've come in,
21:35what's been the expectation set for yourself,
21:38and how much are you looking forward to working with Feyenoord?
21:42Yeah, very much looking forward to working with Michael,
21:46in my opinion the best British sporting director to date,
21:51so the decision to come to Liverpool was obviously one that I was humbled by
21:58and delighted to take, but it was the people that I'll be working with as well
22:01that made it extra special.
22:03Conversations, again, daily, at the minute,
22:08they have been from quite a way out because there was a fair bit to do
22:11to hit the ground running, of course,
22:13with Arne's appointment being the most important thing to do, to get right.
22:19And since then it's been a little bit more, again, with Arne,
22:23logistics and conversations, forward planning.
22:27But yeah, very much looking forward to working with Michael
22:30and the ownership group as a whole.
22:33Juliette.
22:35Arne, Juliette from Sky Sports.
22:37I was just wondering, when contact was first made with you,
22:42to rewind to that time, what that emotion, what that feeling was like,
22:47with the ambition that you have as a head coach to bring you to Liverpool,
22:52and maybe was there a nervous excitement that anything would go to plan
22:56to bring you here?
22:59I've worked at a real special club at Feyenoord,
23:02and I wouldn't leave that club for many clubs,
23:05but when Liverpool comes along, that was obviously one of the clubs
23:08where I would leave Feyenoord for, since you are seeing me here.
23:11But for me maybe even more important is the first time Richard came over,
23:15to hear the reasons why he wanted to take me.
23:18He wanted Liverpool to bring me in.
23:24And since then I've noticed how professional this club is,
23:29so it went quite fast afterwards.
23:32But most important, for me at least, is to get to know the reasons why they want you.
23:39Because, of course, we were lucky enough to win a few things,
23:47but playing style, if someone wants to convince me,
23:52he should talk to me about,
23:54I like your playing style, because otherwise I would have been a wrong fit
23:58for this club or any other club that doesn't like my playing style.
24:02He really knew a lot, he saw a lot of games,
24:06and I think this is something you want to hear,
24:08that they don't only want you because maybe you won the league last season
24:11or won the Cup this season, but it has to be more than that,
24:14and I was impressed by that.
24:16And since then things went quite smoothly, due to my age as well.
24:26You've spoken about already the quality of the squad you've inherited,
24:30but then also the need to improve,
24:32so that's a question for both of you.
24:34How much activity do you think you'll need to do this summer
24:38to continue that improvement in terms of transfers?
24:41Do you have an idea of the scale of what needs to be done this summer?
24:47No, not in specific numbers, if you meant that.
24:51For me it's clear that we've inherited a squad that's a good team,
24:56there have been a few changes last season already,
25:00and I think if I, the way I look at football,
25:05I can see now during the Euros how important it is
25:08to work on a daily basis for a longer time with a team,
25:11because in my opinion you see many real, real, real good players,
25:16not all of them have the same level as they have at their club,
25:20so that proves my point, how important it is to work on a daily basis
25:24with your players and get the best out of them.
25:27And that's something we're going to do, there's already a real good team.
25:31Like I just said, there have been a few new signings last season,
25:35the longer a team plays together, if there's a good manager or a good head coach,
25:40normally you will see that things will improve.
25:44So that's why I'm fortunate that I'm going to a club
25:47where normally not many transfers go out.
25:50I've worked at Feyenoord, it was almost normal that 8, 9, 10 players left the club
25:55after every season, so it's more difficult for a manager then to get this progress,
26:01but here I'm expecting him to keep the most of our players!
26:05LAUGHTER
26:07And I think he wants it himself, and from there on we can only build.
26:13Hi, Arjen, Theo Squires, Liverpool Echo.
26:15Over here during the Euros there's obviously been plenty of debate
26:19about Trent's best position, whether he should be a defender or a midfielder.
26:22I'm sure in the Netherlands you'll get the same with Cody Gatfolk,
26:25whether he should be a striker or a left winger,
26:27we've seen them in very specific positions here.
26:30Have you had an idea about where you might see their roles,
26:33or what you think about their best positions playing for the Euros compared to here?
26:37I don't have an opinion about what their best position would be at their countries,
26:41because it always depends on other players you have as well.
26:44You cannot judge a player on his own, it's always a team effort.
26:47But I do have my opinion about where they're going to play here,
26:51but if you don't mind I'm going to talk to them about that first,
26:55and work with them first before telling it here.
27:01Thanks, guys.
27:02Thank you.