Slot Provides No Excuses and Vows to Find Route From Malaise
Liverpool's head coach declared he needed to “look at myself” after Liverpool suffered a sixth defeat in seven Premier League games at home to Nottingham Forest and affirmed he would discover a way out of the champions’ slump.
Forest, in the relegation zone before kick off, produced the biggest victory at Liverpool's stadium in their club records as Liverpool slipped to an 8th defeat in 11 fixtures in all competitions. The British record signing, the Swedish striker, was again anonymous and the home side contended Murillo’s first goal should have been disallowed for comparable grounds to the captain's chalked-off goal against City before the international break. But the manager conceded the responsibility stopped with him and made no excuses.
“Nobody wants to listen to me now speaking about officiating calls if you lose 3-0 at home to Forest,” said the Liverpool head coach. “I should look at myself initially and my team, but it demonstrates you how a goal can alter the flow of a game. Before I was just hoping for us to score a goal. Afterwards we hardly created anything.
“Of course there is a way out, particularly with the quality players we have. Regardless if you triumph or lose when you reflect you are always considering: ‘Where can we do better, in what aspects can we adjust?’ but that is something else from doubting your abilities.
“I want to stress I am responsible for the present losses. You are answerable when you are victorious 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 fell apart as the coach made multiple attacking substitutions when chasing the match. “It was the same on the road at Nottingham Forest last season,” he said. “I took Ibou [Ibrahima Konaté] out and put on the Portuguese forward and he scored straight away to make it 1-1. Then it was brave, now it’s probably unwise.”
The Anfield side previously were defeated in two successive at Anfield league fixtures by Nottingham Forest in 1963. The most recent occasion they suffered back-to-back league games by a three-goal scoreline 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 outcome. Unexpected if you consider the opening 30 minutes of the game. I haven’t seen us producing so much in the initial 30 minutes maybe the entire campaign, and the first time they entered in our penalty area they found the back of the net.
“It wasn’t against Manchester City, but in all other game we have been the dominant team and were capable to generate chances. Recently it is nearly consistently that we miss our chances and the attempts we allow go in.”