Slot Offers Zero Justifications and Vows to Find Way From Malaise
Arne Slot declared he needed to “examine my own performance” after Liverpool suffered a 6th loss in seven English top-flight games at home to Forest and insisted he would find a solution out of the champions’ poor run.
Forest, in the relegation zone prior to the match, produced the biggest win at Liverpool's stadium in their history as the Merseyside club slipped to an 8th loss in 11 fixtures in every tournament. The British record signing, Alexander Isak, was once more unnoticeable and Liverpool contended Murillo’s first goal ought to have been disallowed for similar reasons to the captain's disallowed effort against Manchester City before the national team pause. But Slot admitted the buck rested with him and offered no alibis.
“No one wishes to hear me now talking about refereeing decisions if you are defeated 3-0 at home to Nottingham Forest,” stated the Reds' boss. “I should look at myself first and my squad, but it does show you how a score can change the momentum of a game. Before I was just waiting for us to net a strike. Afterwards we hardly created anything.
“Of course there is a path forward, especially with the quality players we have. Regardless if you win or are beaten when you look back you are always considering: ‘Where can we do better, where can we adjust?’ but that is different from doubting your abilities.
“I want to emphasise I am accountable for the current defeats. You are answerable 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 far from acceptable and I am to blame for that.”
The team's display unravelled as the coach made several attacking substitutions when chasing the game. “It was the identical away at Forest the previous campaign,” he remarked. “I took 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 previously were defeated in two successive home Premier League fixtures against Forest in the sixties. The last time they suffered back-to-back league matches by a three-goal margin was in 1965.
The manager said: “It was very bad. Playing at home, conceding 3-0 no matter which opponent you encounter is a very, very bad outcome. Unexpected if you consider the first half-hour of the game. I did not witness us creating so much in the opening half-hour perhaps the entire campaign, and the initial occasion they arrived in our box they found the back of the net.
“It wasn’t against Manchester City, but in all other fixture we have been the controlling side and were capable to create opportunities. Recently it is almost consistently that we fail to convert our chances and the ones we allow find the net.”