Slot Offers No Excuses and Pledges to Plot Route From Malaise
Liverpool's head coach stated he had to “examine my own performance” after the Reds suffered a sixth defeat in seven English top-flight matches on their own turf to Nottingham Forest and insisted he would find a way out of the title holders' slump.
Nottingham Forest, in the relegation zone before kick off, produced the largest victory at Anfield in their club records as the Merseyside club fell to an eighth defeat in eleven matches in all competitions. The British record signing, Alexander Isak, was once more unnoticeable and Liverpool argued Murillo’s first goal ought to have been disallowed for comparable grounds to Virgil van Dijk’s chalked-off goal against City before the national team pause. But the manager admitted the responsibility rested with him and made no excuses.
“No one wants to listen to me now talking about refereeing decisions if you lose 3-0 in your own stadium to Nottingham Forest,” stated the Reds' boss. “I ought to look at myself first and my team, but it does show you how a goal can alter the flow of a match. Before I was just hoping for us to score a goal. Later we hardly generated anything.
“Of course there is a way out, especially with the talented players we have. Regardless if you win or lose when you look back you are always considering: ‘Where can we do better, where can we adjust?’ but that is something else from doubting yourself.
“I wish to stress I am responsible for the current losses. You are answerable when you are victorious but also responsible when you are defeated. I can not provide enough reasons for us to have the results we have. That is far from acceptable and I am to blame for that.”
Liverpool’s performance unravelled as the coach made multiple offensive substitutions when chasing the match. “It was the identical on the road at Nottingham Forest the previous campaign,” he said. “I substituted the French defender off and brought on [Diogo] Jota and he scored immediately to equalize at 1-1. Then it was courageous, now it’s probably stupid.”
The Anfield side last lost two successive at Anfield Premier League fixtures by Nottingham Forest in the sixties. The last time they lost back-to-back league games by a 3-0 margin was in 1965.
Slot commented: “It was very bad. Competing on home soil, losing 3-0 regardless of which team you face is a terrible result. Unexpected if you consider the first half-hour of the match. I haven’t seen us producing so many chances in the opening 30 minutes perhaps the entire season, and the first time they entered in our box they scored.
“It did not happen at City, but in all other fixture we have been the controlling side and were able to create chances. Lately it is nearly constantly that we fail to convert our chances and the ones we allow find the net.”