Slot Offers Zero Justifications and Pledges to Plot Way Out of Malaise

Arne Slot declared he needed to “examine my own performance” following Liverpool endured a 6th loss in seven Premier League matches on their own turf to Forest and affirmed he would discover a solution from the title holders' poor run.

Nottingham Forest, fighting against the drop prior to the match, delivered the biggest win at Anfield in their club records as the Merseyside club slipped to an 8th loss in eleven fixtures in every tournament. The British record signing, the Swedish striker, was again anonymous and the home side contended Murillo’s opener should have been ruled out for similar reasons to the captain's chalked-off goal against City prior to the national team pause. But Slot admitted the buck rested with him and made no excuses.

“Nobody wishes to hear me now talking about officiating calls if you are defeated 3-0 in your own stadium to Forest,” stated the Reds' boss. “I ought to look at myself first and my squad, but it does show you how a goal can change the momentum of a game. Before I was just hoping for us to net a strike. Later we barely created anything.

“Naturally there is a path forward, particularly with the talented players we have. Regardless if you triumph or are beaten when you reflect you are always considering: ‘Where can we improve, in what aspects can we adjust?’ but that is different from doubting yourself.

“I wish to emphasise I am responsible for the current defeats. You are responsible when you are victorious but also responsible when you are losing. I can not come up with sufficient reasons for us to have the outcomes we have. That is not acceptable and I am responsible for that.”

The team's display unravelled as Slot introduced multiple offensive substitutions when chasing the match. “It was the same away at Forest the previous campaign,” he said. “I took Ibou [Ibrahima Konaté] off and put on [Diogo] Jota and he found the net straight away to equalize at 1-1. At that time it was courageous, now it’s likely unwise.”

The Anfield side previously were defeated in back-to-back home league fixtures by Nottingham Forest in 1963. The most recent occasion they suffered back-to-back top-flight games by a 3-0 scoreline was in 1965.

The manager commented: “It was very bad. Competing on home soil, conceding 3-0 regardless of which opponent you face is a terrible outcome. Surprising if you look at the first half-hour of the game. I haven’t seen us creating so many chances in the opening half-hour maybe the entire season, and the initial occasion they arrived in our box they found the back of the net.

“It did not happen at 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 miss our opportunities and the attempts we allow go in.”

Jerry Porter
Jerry Porter

Award-winning photographer and visual storyteller with over a decade of experience capturing landscapes and urban scenes across Europe.