Liverpool manager Arne Slot has clarified his comments on Manchester United’s ‘long-ball’ approach in their recent 2-1 defeat to Ruben Amorims’ side.
Harry Maguire’s late header on Sunday afternoon sealed a fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions. In three of those, Liverpool equalised but then conceded late on, with similar 2-1 losses to Crystal Palace and Chelsea in the past month.
Slot while speaking ahead of Liverpool’s UEFA Champions League encounter against Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday, cleared up his assessment of the Man Utd defeat, stating that Amorim had been “smart” in making life difficult for his side.
Arne Slot reacts during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
“We faced a team that had their game plan very well in order,” he told TNT Sports reporter Jules Breach.
“There was a bit of a debate over what I said after the game, but it was meant to be a compliment… so, they had a low block and played a lot of long balls. I was asked why it was difficult, and that was the reason.
“It wasn’t criticism, it was me trying to explain why the game was made difficult. If you win the ball back after they’ve played it long, there are 11 players behind the ball. I would add that, to a certain extent, I was positive that we created as many chances as we did.
“Against [Crystal] Palace, we were able to create a lot against a low block, the same against United, but not many games since I’ve been in charge have we been able to create many chances against a 5-4-1 low block. It wasn’t meant as a criticism at all.
“It was a very smart game plan and certainly their last three signings – two of them for sure – had an impact on the game, in [Matheus] Cunha and [Bryan] Mbeumo.”
Liverpool will be without Ryan Gravenberch after the midfielder twisted his ankle in the second half against Manchester United, meaning Slot must come up with a solution to avoid a fifth straight defeat in all competitions.
Arne Slot will be without Ryan Gravenberch. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
“[The scrutiny] is totally normal, losing four times in a row after we have won the league,” Slot continued. “We started the season well in terms of results, not always in terms of performances.
“The funny thing is, you can maybe argue that the wins we had we didn’t play as well as we did in the second halves against Palace and Chelsea, nor for the entire game against United – but it’s a results-driven world we live in, and I accept that.
“When we were winning in the first set of games, I wasn’t that positive, and I wasn’t telling everyone how great we were. Even in the second half of last season, I’ve said many times that the margins were small and we were sometimes on the lucky side. We needed set pieces at that part of the season to bring wins over the line.
“That told me something, and as a result of that, we thought we had to improve [the squad] in the window and make changes. But when you change, it’s quite common that you have to adapt to a new situation, and things can go a little bit like this [his hand moving up and down].
“It’s not only going upwards; things can go down a bit as well. A very wise man told me this week that the important thing is that we grow together, and that’s what we need to do.
“It’s not easy when you lose four games, but that’s why I have to tell the players what we did wrong and why we lost. In the three or four moments where we had to defend, we were not at it enough, and we missed too many chances.”
