Arne Slot praised Conor Bradley for his performance in Liverpool's 1-0 win over Real Madrid, with the right-back keeping Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior quiet
Arne Slot has heaped praise on Conor Bradley following his 'outstanding' display for Liverpool against Real Madrid. The Reds secured a 1-0 victory against Xabi Alonso's side in their Champions League encounter at Anfield.
One fascinating sub-plot of the showdown was Trent Alexander-Arnold's return to his old stomping ground for the first time since a controversial summer switch to Madrid. The right-back was introduced as a second-half substitute and met with a chorus of boos and jeers from the Anfield faithful as he stepped on to the turf.
However, it was fellow academy product Bradley who stole the show with his performance. The right-back had the demanding task of nullifying both Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior - a mission he accomplished with aplomb.
Speaking to Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher on CBS Sports Golazo following the match, Slot explained how containing the dynamic duo proved crucial to securing the result. He singled out Bradley, specifically, for his contribution to that effort.
"I told them before the game, they have scored 26 goals in La Liga. [Just the] 24 goal contributions from Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius.
"So if you want to have any chance of winning this game, you need to control those two. I think we did this outstanding," he said.
"Talking about individual performances, Connor Bradley was outstanding today, I think against Vinicius." Bradley's performance was also lauded by the Anfield faithful.
They sang; 'He's one of our own' in his honour. That chant could also have been a pointed message to Alexander-Arnold upon his return to Anfield.
Liverpool found success with their high-pressure strategy against Madrid. Slot disclosed that this was one of two potential game plans against Alonso's team.
"The thing we said was we either press them really high and aggressive or we go to a complete low block. Because if you're in between playing against Vinicius and Mbappe - probably one of the players with the best deep runs and incredible pace - it's so hard to control that," he explained.
"So ideally we press them very high but never, ever give up space in behind the last line. If you do, three or four times, make sure you run back, not forward."