Liverpool beat Ipswich Town 0-2 away in the Premier League opening game to usher in a new era under Arne Slot. The game allowed those fans who did not follow the pre-season to assess their new head coach’s style of play.
However, Ipswich provided a tough battle to the Reds during the first half, bothering them with physicality and constant pressing. The worrying signs in the first 45 minutes echoed the off-field difficulty in the transfer market for many frustrated fans.
Liverpool’s fanbase currently splits into two with some fans voicing frustration with the poor transfer window while others stay patient and optimistic. Nevertheless, Slot inherited a very strong squad from Jurgen Klopp as the Reds have both depth and quality in abundance.
Any incoming signing should possess special qualities to move the current first-team players, making the options limited in the market. The first half allowed those frustrated fans a lot of reasons to make arguments in their favour against the management.
However, Slot made a tactical switch during halftime by taking out Jarell Quansah for Ibrahima Konate which surprised everyone. Quansah delivered a decent performance but struggled immensely against Ipswich forward Liam Delap in the physical duels throughout the half.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer addressed Slot’s honest response to the tactical change. Lineker said:
“It is interesting we were talking about Arne Slot and that change he made at half time. [After reading Slot’s comments] That’s speaking out publicly about a player’s performance. That’s not something you would have ever heard under Jurgen Klopp so there’s already a slight difference there. I’m always slightly nervous when managers are publicly critical of players.”
Slot’s tactical change made an instant impact in the second half as Konate established his dominance in the Reds’ defence. As Konate calmed the Ipswich’s forward down, Liverpool started knocking on their host’s door with their elegant style of play.
However, Slot acknowledged that Quansah struggled in duels after the game, leading to different interpretations. Shearer further added his opinion on the matter by claiming Slot would not do that to a more experienced player. He said:
“It wasn’t an experienced player though, was it? Not so sure he would’ve done it in that case. It’s easier to do it with a younger player than it is a big hitter and, to be fair, his decision worked. But I thought that as well Gaz when he said that.”
The problem with the assessment of Lineker and Shearer is that they are interpreting his statement as only Quansah’s criticism. It is common knowledge that Konate is physically more imposing than Quansah and the fantastic second-half performance proves that. Quansah and Konate will rotate with each other according to the opposition Liverpool faces and Slot’s statement implied that more than any perceived criticism.
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While Lineker is generally objective with his assessment, Liverpool fans share a negative relationship with Shearer. The former England forward loses his professionalism in the matter related to Liverpool, displaying biases that lack integrity.
