Here’s what you should be aware of:
Slot also stood up for his captain, Virgil van Dijk, who occasionally found himself grappling with Fulham forward Rodrigo Muniz’s robust style of play, similar to how he had been challenged by Everton’s Beto earlier in the week.
Despite their dominant position in the Premier League, Liverpool manager Arne Slot dismissed claims of complacency following his team’s surprising 3-2 loss to Fulham on Sunday, which was marred by several mistakes.
The Reds initially surged ahead thanks to Alexis Mac Allister, putting them on track for what could have been their historic 20th championship win in England’s top flight.
However, Fulham took advantage of Liverpool’s defensive errors to net three goals within just 14 minutes of the first half, establishing an insurmountable lead. They comfortably maintained their position despite some tension following Luis Diaz’s late strike which made for a nervous conclusion.
Slot stated that the mistakes made in the first half were crucial factors leading to their loss, mentioning he believed Liverpool had ample opportunities in the second half to earn at least a draw.
The Dutch manager strongly dismissed any notion that his team has let up with an 11-point advantage at the summit.
"There’s no justification for us to feel satisfied... we currently aren’t ranked first despite winning each match by a gap of three or four goals,” he stated.
I believe that anyone who has watched our matches can see how much effort and hard work we put into winning football games, not to mention the quality involved.
The team that has claimed the league title for the past four seasons (Manchester City) managed to be ahead 3-0 at halftime in nearly all their matches during this period, which hasn’t been our experience so far."
He stated, "In my opinion, the mistakes we've committed aren't linked to the players feeling fatigued."
I understand how it goes; in soccer, it’s consistent worldwide: if you let in three goals during the first half, everyone says, ‘Wow, what a catastrophe.’
If you revisit it now, acknowledging that you conceded three goals, you might also notice some positive highlights.
Slot also stood up for his captain, Virgil van Dijk, who occasionally found himself struggling with Fulham forward Rodrigo Muniz’s physical presence, much like he did against Everton’s Beto earlier in the week.
He mentioned that credit should go to Muniz and Beto, and went on to say, “There are many aspects of Virgil’s performance that I continue to admire greatly. However, playing 50 or 60 matches per season means that everyone, including him, might encounter one or two instances where they feel they could have performed better.”
However, overall, when I consider Virgil's display against Everton, apart from missing the ball once, he was exceptional, so I have no concerns about him.
Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. Learn more