Liverpool's Manager Provides No Excuses and Vows to Plot Way Out of Malaise

Liverpool's head coach declared he had to “look at myself” after the Reds suffered a sixth loss in 7 English top-flight matches on their own turf against Nottingham Forest and affirmed he would find a way from the champions’ poor run.

Nottingham Forest, fighting against the drop prior to the match, delivered the biggest win at Liverpool's stadium in their club records as the Merseyside club slipped to an 8th loss in 11 fixtures in every tournament. The British record signing, the Swedish striker, was again anonymous and Liverpool contended Murillo’s first goal should have been disallowed for comparable grounds to Virgil van Dijk’s chalked-off goal versus Manchester City before the national team pause. But the manager admitted the buck rested with him and made no excuses.

“No one wishes to hear me now talking about refereeing decisions if you lose 3-0 in your own stadium to Forest,” said the Liverpool head coach. “I should examine myself initially and my team, but it demonstrates you how a goal can change the flow of a game. Before I was just waiting for us to net a goal. Afterwards we barely generated any chances.

“Of course there is a path forward, especially with the quality players we have. No matter if you win or lose when you reflect you are always thinking: ‘In which areas can we improve, in what aspects can we adjust?’ but that is something else from questioning your abilities.

“I want to stress I am accountable for the current defeats. You are responsible when you are victorious but also responsible when you are defeated. I can never provide enough reasons for us to have the outcomes we have. That is not acceptable and I am responsible for that.”

The team's performance fell apart as the coach made multiple attacking substitutions when pursuing the match. “It was the same away at Nottingham Forest the previous campaign,” he said. “I took Ibou [Ibrahima Konaté] out and brought on the Portuguese forward and he found the net straight away to make it 1-1. At that time it was brave, currently it’s probably unwise.”

The Anfield side last lost back-to-back home league fixtures by Forest in the sixties. The most recent occasion they lost consecutive league matches by a three-goal margin was in 1965.

Slot commented: “It was very bad. Competing on home soil, conceding 3-0 regardless of which opponent you encounter is a very, very bad result. Unexpected if you look at the opening 30 minutes of the match. I haven’t seen us creating so much in the opening half-hour perhaps the whole campaign, and the first time they entered in our box they scored.

“It did not happen at City, but in every other fixture we have been the controlling side and were capable to create chances. Lately it is nearly consistently that we miss our chances and the attempts we allow find the net.”

Juan Love
Juan Love

A seasoned travel writer and Las Vegas enthusiast with over a decade of experience covering entertainment and hospitality in the city.