Arne Slot unhappy with Liverpool players over Brentford performance. He labelled the loss as one of the worst of his reign. The loss saw his side drop outside the Champions League qualifications places on the table.
Slot cleared that he expected ‘bumps on the road’ with new signings. But he did not expect the team to lose four in a row. While Liverpool find themselves in sixth position, bitter rivals Manchester United have risen to fourth.
Sunday’s fixtures can see United drop out of the Top 4, but Liverpool too can drop down to eighth as injury concerns mount.
Arne Slot blames players for loss
Arne Slot blamed his team for current run of four Premier League losses (Credit: Imago Images)
“I have said many times teams have a certain style against us and we have not found an answer yet. Going 1-0 down every time does not help.”, blaming his team for conceding first in most games.
“Teams know what strategy to play against us. Today even when we don’t play well we score two goals but you can’t compete if you concede too many goals.”, he added.
Explaining further, Slot felt the team is still adapting to the changes.
“That is not just the defence that is something we do with 11 players together. And it has a lot to do if you make a lot of changes like this summer.”
“It can be a bumpy ride but I did not see losing four games in a row.”, clearly frustrated with the run he is a having.
Manager needs to shoulder responsibility
A manager is always as good as his side, but the entire blame cannot be put on the players alone. Arne Slot needs to relook into his plans as well.
The Dutchman had a say in the signings this summer. Proven Premier League performers like Alexander Isak and Milos Kerkez joined Anfield. Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike were the other high profile signings.
Spending close to £416 million in a single window certainly makes a big statement. In this case, it was a belief in their manager, but other issues were ignored.
Contract negotiations with current players have also hit a stumbling block. Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson both are yet to commit to the club. When a club signs marquee players for astronomical fees but fails to tie down existing rocks of the team, it leads to dissatisfaction among them.
This is also a season where ex-boss Jurgen Klopp’s shadow is not looming over Anfield. The first sign of poor results has also unnerved Slot.
Rather than focusing on his own or the team’s shortcomings, he is projecting outward. Last week he blamed Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United’s style of play. This week too he put the blame on players and Brentford.
It is Slot who needs to find the answers and not say that he doesn’t know how to respond with a Plan B.
