Arne Slot's first game with Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool squad went off without a hitch. However, a surprising 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at home quickly disrupted that calm. The Dutch manager, once in a cozy spot, now faces challenges brought to light by this loss.
Liverpool must bounce back fast. They have a match against AC Milan coming up on Tuesday. It's important to note they weren't in the Champions League last year, so this marks their return. Under Klopp, they built a strong reputation in European football.
Between 2018 and 2022, the club advanced to three Champions League finals. They even took home six titles from the European Cup! That is the Heritage Slot has come from. Unfortunately, the new Champions League structure has not come with an easy hand for him.
Liverpool will face tough teams like AC Milan and Real Madrid, who are very successful in this competition.
Xabi Alonso was seen as a frontrunner to take over from Klopp. He will visit Anfield soon with Bayer Leverkusen in November. Meanwhile, Slot will head back to the Netherlands for a match against PSV Eindhoven, the current Dutch champions.
Liverpool also has more challenges ahead against teams from Italy, Spain, Germany, and France like Bologna, Girona, Leipzig, and Lille.
After Saturday’s game against Forest—where they put 11 players behind the ball—it could be refreshing for Liverpool to face these upcoming opponents. This win for Forest was their first one at Anfield in 55 years!
Liverpool controlled almost 70% of the game but struggled to turn that into goals.
“We lost the ball too often in easy situations,” Slott said, slightly annoyed. “We had a lot of possession. But only 3 or 4 good opportunities were created. It's not enough.”
The fans at Anfield felt down after this match. Just before the break, there was so much joy with a nice 3-0 victory over Manchester United.
Klopp had found it tough at Old Trafford during his nine years at the helm, so things were looking promising for Slot early on.
Is there too much reliance on Salah?
Liverpool kicked off their season by winning their first three Premier League matches without conceding any goals. Under Slot's guidance, they have added more control and caution compared to Klopp's free-flowing style of football.
Now, Slot needs to balance his own approach while keeping both players & supporters happy during this time of change.
"I won't change how I prepare after a loss," he stated regarding adjustments for Milan. "I aim for the same attitude every single day—after big wins, small wins, draws, or losses."
The international break came at a good time for Liverpool after their off day. Luis Diaz & Alexis Mac Allister were subbed off with the score still level against Forest due to their long flights back from South America for World Cup qualifiers.
However, when Mohamed Salah had a quieter game, it made clear how much they depend on him to score goals—something that Slot must address soon since Salah is now in the last year of his contract.
“Everyone returns from different places playing different styles,” said Captain Virgil van Dijk. “Even when we weren’t at our best today, we created chances that should've gone better.”
“We need to flip this around and see it as a reality check if we want success this season because there's too big of a gap between our performances.”
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