Liverpool's Manager Offers No Excuses and Vows to Plot Way From Slump
Arne Slot stated he had to “look at myself” following the Reds endured a sixth loss in 7 English top-flight matches at home against Nottingham Forest and affirmed he would discover a solution out of the champions’ slump.
Forest, in the relegation zone prior to the match, produced the largest victory at Anfield in their club records as Liverpool fell to an 8th defeat in eleven matches in every tournament. The most expensive domestic acquisition, Alexander Isak, was again anonymous and the home side argued Murillo’s opener should have been disallowed for similar reasons to the captain's disallowed effort versus Manchester City prior to the national team pause. But Slot conceded the responsibility rested with him and made no excuses.
“Nobody wants to hear me now talking about officiating calls if you are defeated 3-0 in your own stadium to Nottingham Forest,” said the Reds' boss. “I should examine myself first and my team, but it does show you how a score can change the flow of a game. Earlier I was just hoping for us to score a goal. Later we hardly generated anything.
“Naturally there is a way out, particularly with the talented footballers we have. No matter if you triumph or are beaten when you reflect you are always thinking: ‘In which areas can we do better, where can we make changes?’ but that is something else from doubting yourself.
“I wish to stress I am accountable for the present losses. You are answerable when you are winning but also liable when you are losing. I can not come up with sufficient excuses for us to have the results we have. That is not acceptable and I am to blame for that.”
Liverpool’s performance unravelled as Slot introduced multiple attacking substitutions when pursuing the game. “It was the identical on the road at Forest the previous campaign,” he remarked. “I substituted the French defender out and brought on the Portuguese forward and he scored straight away to equalize at 1-1. At that time it was courageous, now it’s likely stupid.”
The Anfield side last lost two successive home league games by Nottingham Forest in the sixties. The last time they lost consecutive league games by a 3-0 scoreline was in 1965.
Slot commented: “It was very bad. Playing on home soil, conceding 3-0 regardless of which team you face is a very, very bad result. Surprising if you consider the first half-hour of the game. I haven’t seen us producing so much in the initial 30 minutes maybe the whole campaign, and the first time they entered in our penalty area they scored.
“It wasn’t against Manchester City, but in all other game we have been the dominant side and were able to create chances. Recently it is nearly consistently that we fail to convert our chances and the ones we allow find the net.”