Arne Slot had made a calm start to his daunting task of following Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, but a 1-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest ended the Dutchman’s honeymoon period and highlighted flaws in the Reds’ mask. Liverpool has little time to nurse their wounds as they travel to AC Milan on Tuesday to begin their comeback to the Champions League after a year away from Europe’s top club competition. Under Klopp, Liverpool’s reputation at the top of the European game was regained.
Between 2018 and 2022, the English club made three Champions League finals in five seasons and won the European Cup for the sixth time in its history. Reported By Sport Ndtv.
That is the legacy Slot inherits, and the new Champions League structure has not favored the former Feyenoord manager.
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Liverpool will face the two most successful teams in the competition’s history, Milan and Real Madrid.
Xabi Alonso, who was expected to replace Klopp, will return to Anfield with German champions Bayer Leverkusen in November, while Slot will face Dutch title holders PSV Eindhoven.
They will also face further Italian, Spanish, German, and French opposition in Bologna, Girona, Leipzig, and Lille.
However, Liverpool may embrace the challenge after suffering when Forest put 11 men behind the ball on Saturday and held out for their first win at Anfield in 55 years.
The home side had nearly 70% possession but lacked the spark to make it matter.
“We lost the ball so many times in simple situations,” remarked an angry Slot. “We had a lot of ball possession but only managed to create three or four quite good chances, so that is by far not enough.”
The feeling of deflation for the Liverpool faithful contrasted sharply with the elation that greeted a 3-0 win at Manchester United.
Over-reliance on Salah?
Liverpool won their first three Premier League games without conceding as the Dutch coach placed more control and prudence on the free-flowing style of heavy metal football that immediately won fans over under Klopp.
Slot must now strike a balance between establishing his own style and retaining both players and supporters on board during the transition time.
“If I change my method of preparation after a loss, that means I only do the best work I can after we lose,” Slot explained on how he plans to change things up for the trip to Milan.
“I want to see the same attitude every single day: after a big win, after a small win, after a draw, after a loss.”
However, their failure to fire on Mohamed Salah’s off day showed a reliance on the 32-year-old to continue carrying the goal-scoring burden, something Slot must address, particularly as the Egyptian enters the final year of his contract.
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