Liverpool manager Arne Slot has reflected on his side’s performance with a mixture of praise and constructive criticism, Softfootball can report. Liverpool came into the merseyside derby prepared, having scored two goals before the half hour mark at Anfield before they conceded a solo-goal to Everton in the second half. Hugo Ekitike and Ryan Gravenberch scored for Liverpool as Idrissa Gueye got a consolation goal for Everton.
But Slot admitted that the first half did not reach the level of intensity he wanted, but he was impressed with the way his players responded after the break.
According to Slot, the second-half mentality was “incredible,” showing resilience, control, and a willingness to fight back even when situations did not go their way.
Looking back at the flow of the game, Slot was satisfied with how Liverpool handled large portions of the contest, but he pointed out that they were not clinical enough in front of goal. Speaking to the club media, Slot said:
We managed the match very well, but poorly managed the opportunities.
Slot then added that limited preparation affected his boys in getting concentrated in today’s game.
We needed mentality today in a different fashion maybe than the few times before. But we always knew how difficult a game this would be, let alone if you have proper preparation time.
Speaking about his squad management, seeing that new signing Alexander Isak was benched and only got 23 minutes of play as a subsitiute to goalscorer Hugo Ekitike, Slot made it clear that rotation will be necessary, especially during weeks with congested fixtures. He said:
I can tell you now, you won’t see them on Tuesday. Both know that stringing together 3×90 minutes would be tough. Having two quality number 9s is a luxury that many league clubs share, and us too.
Liverpool’s next game is against Southhampton for the Carabao Cup at Anfield on Tuesday. Liverpool leads the EPL with 15 points having lost any game so far and have only conceded five goals.
