Liverpool's Manager Offers No Excuses and Vows to Find Way From Malaise

Arne Slot declared he had to “examine my own performance” after the Reds suffered a 6th loss in seven Premier League matches on their own turf against Nottingham Forest and affirmed he would find a way from the champions’ poor run.

Forest, in the relegation zone prior to the match, produced the biggest victory at Anfield in their club records as the Merseyside club fell to an 8th defeat in 11 fixtures in every tournament. The most expensive domestic acquisition, Alexander Isak, was again anonymous and the home side argued Murillo’s opener ought to have been ruled out for comparable grounds to Virgil van Dijk’s disallowed effort versus Manchester City before the international break. But the manager conceded the buck stopped with him and made no excuses.

“No one wishes to listen to me now talking about officiating calls if you are defeated 3-0 in your own stadium to Forest,” said the Reds' boss. “I should look at my own role initially and my team, but it demonstrates you how a goal can alter the flow of a game. Earlier I was just waiting for us to net a strike. Later we barely generated anything.

“Of course there is a path forward, especially with the talented players we have. No matter if you triumph or lose when you look back you are always considering: ‘Where can we improve, in what aspects can we make changes?’ but that is different from doubting yourself.

“I want to stress I am responsible for the present defeats. You are answerable when you are winning but also responsible when you are defeated. I can not provide sufficient excuses for us to have the outcomes we have. That is far from acceptable and I am to blame for that.”

Liverpool’s display unravelled as the coach made multiple offensive substitutions when chasing the match. “It was the identical on the road at Nottingham Forest the previous campaign,” he remarked. “I took the French defender out and brought on [Diogo] Jota and he found the net straight away to equalize at 1-1. Then it was brave, currently it’s likely unwise.”

The Anfield side previously were defeated in back-to-back home Premier League fixtures against Forest in the sixties. The last time they suffered back-to-back league games by a three-goal margin was in the mid-60s.

Slot commented: “It was extremely poor. Competing on home soil, losing 3-0 regardless of which opponent you encounter is a very, very bad outcome. Unexpected if you consider the opening 30 minutes of the game. I did not witness us creating so many chances in the opening 30 minutes perhaps the entire season, and the initial occasion they entered in our penalty area they scored.

“It did not happen against Manchester City, but in every other game we have been the dominant team and were capable to generate chances. Lately it is almost consistently that we fail to convert our opportunities and the attempts we concede find the net.”

Amy Adams
Amy Adams

A seasoned sports analyst and betting expert with over a decade of experience in the gambling industry, specializing in football and tennis markets.