Liverpool's Manager Provides No Excuses and Vows to Find Way From Malaise
Liverpool's head coach stated he had to “examine my own performance” following Liverpool endured a 6th defeat in seven English top-flight matches at home to Nottingham Forest and affirmed he would discover a solution out of the champions’ slump.
Forest, in the relegation zone prior to the match, delivered the largest win at Anfield in their history as Liverpool fell to an 8th loss in 11 fixtures in every tournament. The most expensive domestic acquisition, the Swedish striker, was once more anonymous and Liverpool contended Murillo’s opener should have been disallowed for similar reasons to the captain's disallowed effort against City prior to the national team pause. But the manager conceded the responsibility stopped with him and offered no alibis.
“Nobody wants to listen to me now speaking about officiating calls if you lose 3-0 in your own stadium to Forest,” stated the Liverpool head coach. “I should examine myself initially and my squad, but it demonstrates you how a goal can change the momentum of a match. Earlier I was just waiting for us to net a goal. Afterwards we barely generated anything.
“Of course there is a way out, especially with the talented footballers we have. No matter if you win or are beaten when you reflect you are always thinking: ‘Where can we improve, where can we make changes?’ but that is something else from doubting yourself.
“I wish to stress I am responsible for the present defeats. You are answerable when you are victorious but also responsible when you are defeated. I can never come up with enough excuses for us to have the outcomes we have. That is far from good enough and I am to blame for that.”
The team's display unravelled as the coach introduced multiple offensive changes when chasing the game. “It was the identical on the road at Forest last season,” he remarked. “I substituted Ibou [Ibrahima Konaté] out and put on the Portuguese forward and he found the net immediately to make it 1-1. At that time it was brave, now it’s likely stupid.”
Liverpool previously were defeated in two successive at Anfield league games against Nottingham Forest in 1963. The last time they lost consecutive top-flight matches by a three-goal margin was in 1965.
Slot said: “It was extremely poor. Competing at home, conceding 3-0 regardless of which team you face is a terrible outcome. Unexpected if you look at the first half-hour of the game. I haven’t seen us producing so many chances in the opening 30 minutes perhaps the entire campaign, and the first time they arrived in our penalty area they scored.
“It wasn’t against Manchester City, but in all other game we have been the controlling team and were capable to create opportunities. Lately it is almost consistently that we fail to convert our opportunities and the ones we allow find the net.”