Liverpool Faces Setback in Premier League as Slot Remains Resilient

omidbasir- Liverpool’s heavy defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday has seen them slip to 11th place in the Premier League, effectively diminishing their hopes of retaining the title. Nevertheless, manager Arne Slot, formerly of Feyenoord, has expressed a resolute stance, asserting that his team will turn their fortunes around.

When questioned about his players’ confidence levels, Slot responded, “I don’t feel this, or I don’t see this. After we went 1-0 down, we struggled. I attempted to motivate them and provide guidance to start the second half positively. Immediately, they found themselves 2-0 down. The players kept striving, and I cannot fault them for that. They effectively blocked every shot we attempted. The solution is not far away; we created chances in every match, and it’s not as if we are conceding ten chances per game. This trend cannot continue indefinitely, but we must reflect on ourselves and identify areas for improvement after conceding a goal. For two consecutive games, we have failed to score.”

However, Slot acknowledged that his squad is feeling disheartened following yet another loss.

According to The Athletic, Slot was scheduled to receive an award in person but withdrew on the morning of the ceremony. Liverpool sent club ambassador and former player Gary McAllister to accept the award on his behalf. McAllister expressed Slot’s pride in receiving the accolade during his remarks.

Slot has seemingly accepted responsibility for Liverpool’s dismal run of form. He stated to reporters, “It is my responsibility, regardless of whether we win or lose. However, I also observe a team that continues to fight until the end, supported by the fans who remained to cheer the players on. Recently, we have consistently squandered our opportunities while the chances conceded result in goals. This trend will not endure throughout the season. We need that surge of energy from scoring an early goal. Instead, Forest received a significant boost from their goal. I see numerous factors that, under normal circumstances, would lead to different results, but we find ourselves in a challenging situation.”

Despite a growing number of Liverpool supporters pointing fingers at Slot—especially after an investment of over £400 million on transfers this summer—captain Virgil van Dijk believes his teammates are “letting the manager and ourselves down.” The visibly frustrated center-back has urged his team to rectify this “mess.”

“One should feel angry, and the main takeaway for me is that everyone must accept responsibility,” he remarked. “It’s not easy during tough times, but we must do it if we wish to improve. We are undoubtedly letting the manager down, but we have also let ourselves down. Currently, it is a mess—this is simply a fact. As the defending champions, we cannot be in the position we find ourselves in now. What are we going to do about it? We will strive to turn it around, and that mentality is essential for everyone.”

Liverpool has an opportunity to recover from this setback when they host PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday. This will be followed by a Premier League clash against struggling West Ham on Sunday, and then matches against promoted teams Sunderland and Leeds United in early December.