Liverpool's Manager Provides Zero Justifications and Vows to Find Route Out of Slump
Arne Slot declared he had to “look at myself” after Liverpool suffered a 6th loss in 7 English top-flight games at home to Forest and affirmed he would find a way from the champions’ slump.
Nottingham Forest, in the relegation zone prior to the match, delivered the biggest win at Anfield in their history as the Merseyside club fell to an eighth defeat in 11 matches in every tournament. The most expensive domestic acquisition, the Swedish striker, was once more anonymous and Liverpool contended the defender's opener ought to have been ruled out for comparable grounds to Virgil van Dijk’s chalked-off goal against City prior to the international break. But Slot conceded the buck stopped with him and offered no alibis.
“No one wishes to listen to me now speaking about officiating calls if you are defeated 3-0 at home to Nottingham Forest,” said the Reds' boss. “I ought to look at myself first and my squad, but it does show you how a goal can alter the momentum of a game. Earlier I was just hoping for us to net a strike. Afterwards we barely generated anything.
“Naturally there is a way out, especially with the quality players we have. No matter if you triumph or are beaten when you look back you are always thinking: ‘Where can we improve, in what aspects can we adjust?’ but that is something else from doubting your abilities.
“I wish to stress I am accountable for the current losses. You are answerable when you are winning but also liable when you are defeated. I can not provide sufficient reasons for us to have the results we have. That is far from acceptable and I am to blame for that.”
The team's performance unravelled as the coach made multiple attacking substitutions when pursuing the match. “It was the identical away at Forest the previous campaign,” he remarked. “I took Ibou [Ibrahima Konaté] off and put on the Portuguese forward and he found the net immediately to make it 1-1. Then it was courageous, now it’s likely stupid.”
Liverpool previously were defeated in two successive home league games against Forest in the sixties. The most recent occasion they lost back-to-back top-flight games by a three-goal scoreline was in 1965.
Slot commented: “It was extremely poor. Competing at home, conceding 3-0 no matter which opponent you encounter is a very, very bad result. Unexpected if you look at the opening 30 minutes of the match. I did not witness us producing so much in the opening 30 minutes perhaps the entire season, and the first time they arrived in our penalty area they scored.
“It wasn’t against Manchester City, but in all other fixture we have been the dominant side and were able to generate opportunities. Recently it is nearly constantly that we miss our opportunities and the ones we concede find the net.”