Liverpool's Manager Provides No Excuses and Vows to Plot Route Out of Slump

Arne Slot declared he needed to “look at myself” following the Reds suffered a sixth loss in seven Premier League games at home to Nottingham Forest and insisted he would discover a way from the champions’ slump.

Forest, fighting against the drop prior to the match, delivered the biggest victory at Liverpool's stadium in their history as the Merseyside club fell to an eighth defeat in 11 fixtures in every tournament. The British record signing, the Swedish striker, was again unnoticeable and the home side argued Murillo’s first goal ought to have been ruled out for similar reasons to Virgil van Dijk’s disallowed effort against City before the international break. But the manager admitted the responsibility rested with him and made no excuses.

“Nobody wants to hear me now talking about officiating calls if you lose 3-0 in your own stadium to Nottingham Forest,” said the Liverpool head coach. “I ought to examine myself initially and my squad, but it does show you how a score can alter the momentum of a game. Before I was just waiting for us to score a strike. Afterwards we hardly generated anything.

“Of course there is a path forward, especially with the quality footballers we have. No matter if you triumph or lose when you reflect you are always considering: ‘Where can we improve, in what aspects can we adjust?’ but that is something else from doubting your abilities.

“I wish to emphasise I am responsible for the current losses. You are responsible when you are winning but also liable when you are losing. I can never come up with sufficient reasons for us to have the results we have. That is far from good enough and I am to blame for that.”

Liverpool’s performance unravelled as the coach made several offensive changes when chasing the game. “It was the same on the road at Forest the previous campaign,” he remarked. “I substituted the French defender off and put on [Diogo] Jota 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 two successive at Anfield Premier League games against Nottingham Forest in 1963. The most recent occasion they lost consecutive top-flight matches by a three-goal margin was in 1965.

Slot commented: “It was very bad. Competing on home soil, conceding 3-0 no matter which opponent you face is a very, very bad result. Surprising if you look at the first half-hour of the game. I haven’t seen us creating so many chances in the opening 30 minutes maybe the entire season, and the initial occasion they entered in our penalty area they found the back of the net.

“It wasn’t against Manchester City, but in all other fixture we have been the controlling team and were able to create chances. Recently it is almost constantly that we miss our chances and the attempts we allow find the net.”