Slot Provides Zero Justifications and Pledges to Find Way Out of Slump

Liverpool's head coach declared he needed to “examine my own performance” after Liverpool suffered a 6th defeat in 7 Premier League matches on their own turf to Nottingham Forest and affirmed he would find a solution from the champions’ poor run.

Nottingham Forest, fighting against the drop prior to the match, produced the biggest victory at Liverpool's stadium in their club records as the Merseyside club fell to an eighth loss in 11 matches in every tournament. The British record signing, Alexander Isak, was once more unnoticeable and Liverpool argued the defender's first goal should have been ruled out for comparable grounds to Virgil van Dijk’s chalked-off goal versus Manchester City prior to the international break. But Slot admitted the buck stopped with him and made no excuses.

“No one wants to hear me now speaking about officiating calls if you lose 3-0 in your own stadium to Forest,” said the Reds' boss. “I ought to look at my own role first and my team, but it does show you how a goal can change the flow of a game. Earlier I was just hoping for us to net a goal. Later we barely generated anything.

“Of course there is a path forward, particularly with the talented footballers we have. No matter if you triumph or are beaten when you look back you are always thinking: ‘Where can we improve, where can we adjust?’ but that is something else from doubting your abilities.

“I wish to emphasise I am accountable for the present losses. 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 not acceptable and I am to blame for that.”

Liverpool’s performance fell apart as the coach introduced several offensive substitutions when pursuing the match. “It was the identical on the road at Nottingham Forest last season,” he said. “I substituted Ibou [Ibrahima Konaté] off and brought on the Portuguese forward and he scored immediately to make it 1-1. At that time it was courageous, currently it’s likely stupid.”

Liverpool previously were defeated in back-to-back home league games by Forest in 1963. The most recent occasion they lost consecutive top-flight matches by a three-goal scoreline was in the mid-60s.

Slot said: “It was extremely poor. Playing on home soil, losing 3-0 no matter which opponent you encounter is a very, very bad outcome. Surprising if you consider the first half-hour of the game. I did not witness us producing so many chances in the initial 30 minutes maybe the whole campaign, and the first time they entered in our box they found the back of the net.

“It wasn’t against Manchester City, but in every other fixture we have been the controlling team and were able to generate opportunities. Recently it is almost consistently that we miss our opportunities and the attempts we allow find the net.”

Nicholas Glenn
Nicholas Glenn

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