Liverpool's Manager Provides No Excuses and Pledges to Plot Route From Slump
Arne Slot declared he had to “look at myself” following the Reds endured a sixth loss in seven English top-flight matches on their own turf to Nottingham Forest and insisted he would discover a solution out of the champions’ poor run.
Nottingham Forest, fighting against the drop before kick off, produced the biggest victory at Anfield in their club records as Liverpool slipped to an eighth loss in eleven fixtures in all competitions. The most expensive domestic acquisition, Alexander Isak, was once more anonymous and Liverpool contended Murillo’s first goal ought to have been disallowed for similar reasons to the captain's chalked-off goal versus Manchester City prior to the national team pause. But Slot conceded the responsibility rested with him and offered no alibis.
“Nobody wants to listen to me now speaking about refereeing decisions if you are defeated 3-0 at home to Forest,” stated the Liverpool head coach. “I should look at myself first and my squad, but it does show you how a goal can alter the flow of a match. Earlier I was just hoping for us to net a goal. Later we barely generated any chances.
“Naturally there is a way out, especially with the talented footballers we have. No matter if you win or are beaten when you reflect you are always considering: ‘In which areas can we improve, where can we make changes?’ but that is something else from questioning your abilities.
“I want to stress I am accountable for the present losses. You are answerable when you are winning but also responsible when you are losing. I can not provide enough excuses for us to have the results we have. That is far from good enough and I am responsible for that.”
The team's display fell apart as the coach made several attacking changes when pursuing the match. “It was the same away at Forest the previous campaign,” he said. “I substituted Ibou [Ibrahima Konaté] off and put on [Diogo] Jota and he scored straight away to make it 1-1. Then it was courageous, now it’s probably unwise.”
The Anfield side previously were defeated in back-to-back home Premier League games against Forest in 1963. The last time they lost consecutive league games by a three-goal scoreline was in the mid-60s.
Slot commented: “It was very bad. Competing at home, losing 3-0 no matter which opponent you encounter is a terrible outcome. Unexpected if you look at the first half-hour of the match. I did not witness us producing so many chances in the initial half-hour maybe the whole campaign, and the first time they arrived in our penalty area they scored.
“It wasn’t at City, but in all other game we have been the dominant team and were able to create opportunities. Recently it is nearly constantly that we fail to convert our chances and the ones we concede find the net.”