As Liverpool hosted Nottingham Forest on Saturday, it might be the slowest day at the office in the Arne Slot regime. In a 1-0 defeat at Anfield to Forest after 55 years, the stands were shushed towards the end of the game. Not only did they lack creativity, but they had nothing to show for their 69% possession. The chances could be said to have gone flying but there could be more than one reason according to Virgil Van Dijk why Merseyside wasn’t at their best.
Virgil Van Dijk believes losing at home isn’t an option
After years of a streak of Virgil Van Dijk not losing at Anfield, this would be one of the rare losses for him. A late Callum Hudson-Odoi winner which the goalkeeper could do very little about sealed the victory for Forest. It will be safe to say the defence looked intact throughout the game, but it was a well-taken half-chance by the Chelsea graduate. In the aftermath of the defeat, Liverpool Skipper Van Dijk addresses the media pointing out some points which led to the result:
“It’s difficult for me to say [if the international break didn’t help]. Everyone is coming back from different places and playing a different way but still, I think even today when we were not at our best we created chances and it should have gone better.
“But it is a performance we are not happy with, we expect a lot better from ourselves and losing at home is something that can’t happen. We have to turn it around pretty quickly and that will be the focus.“
While Arne Slot ruled out the possibility of International Break being partly a reason, Van Dijk had some different opinions. While it could not be fatigue, the Dutchman stated coming from different mindsets would have affected the synergy.
However, the head coach and the captain can agree on the team not being lethal enough in the final third. Liverpool had seven times more touches in the box compared to Forest’s. In their attempted 14 shots in the game, they could only make the keeper work 5 times. While Forest implemented their game plan perfectly, it doesn’t cut any slack for the Reds’ slow day at the office.
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Whether it was the International Break shaking the momentum or a tactical failure, this defeat will be stinging for a while. A Club coming in and breaking a 55-year-old streak under the new regime could be a scar Slot will have to live with for a while. Picking your heads up and focusing on what’s lacking would be important. The second half of September has Liverpool by the rope as they visit San Siro later this week along with some tough Premier League games following in the month and the next few games could be crucial for Arne Slot.
