Slot Offers Zero Justifications and Pledges to Find Way From Slump
Arne Slot stated he needed to “examine my own performance” after Liverpool suffered a sixth defeat in 7 Premier League matches at home to Forest and insisted he would discover a way from the champions’ poor run.
Forest, fighting against the drop prior to the match, produced the largest victory at Anfield in their history as the Merseyside club slipped to an eighth loss in eleven fixtures in all competitions. The most expensive domestic acquisition, the Swedish striker, was again unnoticeable and Liverpool contended Murillo’s opener ought to have been ruled out for similar reasons to Virgil van Dijk’s chalked-off goal against Manchester City prior to the national team pause. But Slot conceded the buck stopped with him and made no excuses.
“Nobody wishes to hear me now talking about refereeing decisions if you are defeated 3-0 at home to Nottingham Forest,” said the Liverpool head coach. “I ought to examine my own role first and my team, but it demonstrates you how a goal can alter the flow of a game. Before I was just waiting for us to net a strike. Later we hardly generated anything.
“Naturally there is a way out, particularly with the talented players we have. Regardless if you triumph or are beaten when you look back you are always thinking: ‘Where can we improve, where can we make changes?’ but that is something else from doubting yourself.
“I want to emphasise I am responsible for the present losses. You are responsible when you are winning but also responsible when you are defeated. I can never come up with sufficient reasons for us to have the outcomes we have. That is far from acceptable and I am responsible for that.”
The team's display unravelled as Slot made several offensive changes when pursuing the match. “It was the identical away at Nottingham Forest last season,” he said. “I took Ibou [Ibrahima Konaté] out and brought on the Portuguese forward and he scored immediately to equalize at 1-1. Then it was courageous, now it’s probably stupid.”
The Anfield side previously were defeated in two successive at Anfield league games against Forest in 1963. The most recent occasion they suffered consecutive league matches by a three-goal margin was in 1965.
Slot commented: “It was extremely poor. Competing on home soil, conceding 3-0 no matter which opponent you encounter is a very, very bad result. Surprising if you look at the opening 30 minutes of the game. I haven’t seen us producing so much in the initial half-hour perhaps the whole season, and the first time they entered in our box they scored.
“It did not happen at City, but in all other game we have been the controlling side and were capable to create opportunities. Lately it is almost constantly that we miss our chances and the attempts we allow go in.”