Liverpool's Manager Provides No Excuses and Vows to Plot Route Out of Slump
Liverpool's head coach declared he had to “examine my own performance” following the Reds suffered a sixth defeat in 7 Premier League matches at home against Nottingham Forest and affirmed he would discover a way out of the champions’ slump.
Forest, fighting against the drop prior to the match, delivered the biggest win at Anfield in their history as the Merseyside club slipped to an eighth defeat in eleven fixtures in all competitions. The most expensive domestic acquisition, Alexander Isak, was once more anonymous and Liverpool contended Murillo’s first goal should have been disallowed for similar reasons to Virgil van Dijk’s disallowed effort versus City before the international break. But the manager conceded the responsibility rested with him and offered no alibis.
“No one wishes to listen to me now talking about refereeing decisions if you are defeated 3-0 at home to Nottingham Forest,” stated the Liverpool head coach. “I ought to look at myself initially and my squad, but it demonstrates you how a goal can alter the momentum of a game. Earlier I was just hoping for us to net a strike. Later we barely generated any chances.
“Naturally there is a way out, particularly with the quality players we have. No matter if you triumph or lose when you look back you are always considering: ‘In which areas can we do better, where can we make changes?’ but that is something else from doubting yourself.
“I wish to emphasise I am accountable for the present defeats. You are answerable when you are winning but also responsible when you are losing. I can never provide sufficient reasons for us to have the results we have. That is far from acceptable and I am responsible for that.”
The team's performance fell apart as the coach introduced several attacking changes when pursuing the match. “It was the same on the road at Forest last season,” he said. “I took the French defender off and put on the Portuguese forward and he scored immediately to equalize at 1-1. At that time it was courageous, currently it’s likely stupid.”
The Anfield side previously were defeated in back-to-back home Premier League fixtures by Forest in 1963. The most recent occasion they lost back-to-back top-flight games by a three-goal scoreline was in the mid-60s.
Slot commented: “It was very bad. Playing on home soil, conceding 3-0 regardless of which team you encounter is a very, very bad result. Surprising if you look at the opening 30 minutes of the match. I did not witness us producing so many chances in the opening 30 minutes maybe the whole campaign, and the first time they entered in our penalty area they found the back of the net.
“It did not happen against Manchester City, but in all other fixture we have been the controlling team and were capable to create chances. Recently it is almost consistently that we fail to convert our chances and the ones we allow find the net.”