Arne Slot says opponents have “found a strategy” to exploit weaknesses in his team and admitted we’re “not competing up there” while conceding so many goals.
The Dutchman was speaking after our 3-2 defeat away to Brentford, which marked a fourth successive Premier League loss for the reigning champions.
Slot gives honest verdict on Liverpool’s defensive issues
For all the attacking threat on show, with Mo Salah and Milos Kerkez both on the scoresheet, the Reds’ defending once again proved costly.
Brentford struck early from a long throw-in, capitalising on one of the same weaknesses Slot had discussed after previous matches.
The 47-year-old didn’t shy away from the problem, admitting post-match that rivals have figured out how to hurt us.
“Teams have a certain playing style against us, which is a very good strategy to play and we haven’t found an answer yet,” he told Liverpoolfc.com.
“Every time going 1-0 down doesn’t really help as well after five minutes.
“Even today, when we don’t play well, we are still able to score two goals and create more chances, but you cannot compete if you concede too many goals — and that’s not just on the defence, it’s with 11 players together.”
It’s a concerning admission, not least because these frailties have now persisted over several games.
While the boss’s honesty will be appreciated by supporters, many will hope that openness is soon matched by a defensive fix on the pitch.
Injuries, changes and a reminder of perspective
To be fair, we’ve endured significant disruption since the summer.
The loss of Diogo Jota in July left a hole not only in terms of goals, but also a huge emotional weight on the squad.
The absence of Alisson and Ryan Gravenberch has further complicated matters, while bedding in new faces like Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike was always going to take time.
“If you change quite a lot in the summer then it’s not a surprise that it can go a bit like this,” Slot added. “But I didn’t expect four losses in a row. That’s clear.”
The Reds’ form may look troubling, but the bigger picture still shows a team in transition rather than decline.
For all the criticism, there are bright signs – not least the end of a goal drought for Mo Salah and the continued impressive performances from Dominik Szoboszlai.
Despite the poor run, Liverpool fans know how quickly things can turn once this new-look side gels.
With Alisson, Gravenberch and Jeremie Frimpong all nearing a return, there’s still every reason to believe this team can put things right.
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Any manager or coach worth his salt would know all about 5h3 physical aspect of the premier league and teams playing long balll, it’s not just happened this season, it’s been around from the beginning of football. It’s no good making excuses when slot had a say in who was recruited in the summer. Wirtz 116 million, kirkez 40 million, frimpong 30 million. Near200 million on small very lightweight players who don’t offer much if anything defensively, especially from set piece’s. You also can’t complain when you don’t win second ballls, duels and the tackling in midfield if you pick midfield players who are attacking midfielders. The recruitment was wrong, the system is wrong, the midfield is not good enough without the ball it’s why the defence is getting exposed. We are getting ripped apart by poor teams, what happens when we play better teams like PSG or Real Madrid who can keep the ball. A good manager should be able to pick a team with the players we have to beat likes of Brentford, Palace and a poor Manchester United team, especially after spending 450 million. Unfortunately under slot there’s been a gradual decline, last six months of last season into this season, sorry but must be said slot is not a top class manager, he’ll be sacked before Christmas. Who we have after this anyone’s guess.
Rope, Mr. ‘Bot ?