Liverpool boss Arne Slot has candidly acknowledged the team’s struggle to adapt to a revamped playing style, a change he deemed necessary during their triumphant Premier League campaign last season. Despite sitting at the summit of the league table, the Reds have faced scrutiny after suffering consecutive defeats for only the second time under Slot’s stewardship. The recent setbacks include a 2-1 loss at Crystal Palace and a 1-0 Champions League defeat to Galatasaray in Istanbul.
Liverpool’s early-season form has been patchy, with several narrow victories concealing their search for consistency despite an influx of nearly £450million in new talent over the summer. Ahead of a challenging encounter with Chelsea on Saturday evening, Slot has shed light on the rationale behind the summer’s hefty investment. He pinpointed difficulties in breaking down defences from open play last term as a catalyst for the spending.
“We were very happy winning the league, but we didn’t shut our eyes for the second part of the season, how many times we needed a set-piece to win, which is not something bad because Arsenal and Chelsea are needing a set-piece almost every single game at the moment,” said the Liverpool boss.
“That’s why we also had the window that we had – sometimes to replace, sometimes to add a certain quality.
“And it’s up to us to show that we can do better in these kind of games than we did in the second part of last season and the first part of this season.”
Slot added: “In the meantime, we almost won every single game (this season).
“But the margins are not the same any more as the first part of the last season, with 3-0 against Bournemouth, 6-3 at Tottenham and 5-0 at West Ham.
“And then you depend a bit more on luck or bad luck or on a set-piece.
“We are trying to go to a situation where we don’t need a set-piece to win a game or we don’t need someone to fall on the ground to get a penalty, or a referee to do extra time of extra time of extra time. That is something we dislike.”
With Alisson Becker sidelined for several weeks due to a hamstring injury, Giorgi Mamardashvili is set to make his Premier League debut after his £29m move from Valencia this summer.
Slot also expressed hope that attacking pair Hugo Ekitike and Federico Chiesa would be fit for selection, following Ekitike’s early substitution against Galatasaray and Chiesa’s absence.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak, Alexis Mac Allister, and Conor Bradley are all vying for a return to the starting lineup after being rested in the midweek match.