Liverpool's Manager Offers Zero Justifications and Pledges to Plot Route Out of Malaise
Liverpool's head coach declared he had to “examine my own performance” after Liverpool endured a 6th loss in seven Premier League matches at home against Nottingham Forest and insisted he would find a way from the title holders' slump.
Forest, fighting against the drop prior to the match, delivered the biggest win at Anfield in their club records as the Merseyside club fell to an eighth loss in eleven fixtures in every tournament. The British record signing, Alexander Isak, was again anonymous and Liverpool contended Murillo’s opener should have been ruled out for similar reasons to the captain's chalked-off goal against Manchester City before the national team pause. But the manager conceded the buck stopped with him and offered no alibis.
“No one wants to listen to me now talking about officiating calls if you lose 3-0 in your own stadium to Nottingham Forest,” said the Reds' boss. “I ought to look at my own role initially and my team, but it does show you how a score can change the momentum of a match. Before I was just hoping for us to net a goal. Afterwards we barely generated anything.
“Naturally there is a way out, particularly with the talented players we have. No matter if you win or are beaten when you reflect you are always considering: ‘Where can we improve, where can we adjust?’ but that is something else from questioning yourself.
“I want to emphasise I am responsible for the present losses. You are responsible when you are victorious but also responsible when you are defeated. I can never come up with enough excuses for us to have the results we have. That is not good enough and I am to blame for that.”
Liverpool’s performance fell apart as the coach made multiple attacking substitutions when chasing the game. “It was the same on the road at Nottingham Forest last season,” he remarked. “I took Ibou [Ibrahima Konaté] off and put on [Diogo] Jota and he found the net immediately to make it 1-1. Then it was brave, now it’s probably stupid.”
Liverpool previously were defeated in two successive home Premier League fixtures against Nottingham Forest in 1963. The last time they suffered back-to-back top-flight games by a three-goal margin 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 terrible result. Surprising if you consider the opening 30 minutes of the game. I haven’t seen us creating so much in the opening half-hour perhaps the whole campaign, and the initial occasion they arrived in our box they scored.
“It wasn’t against Manchester City, but in all other game we have been the controlling team and were able to create opportunities. Recently it is nearly constantly that we fail to convert our chances and the ones we allow find the net.”