Liverpool boss Arne Slot has doubled down on his comments regarding Manchester United's tactics in their win at Anfield last weekend
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been told he's made a mistake with his post-match comments following the defeat to Man United.
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Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson believes Arne Slot has made a mistake in bemoaning the way opposition sides set up against the Reds, highlighting their own weakness. Speaking after the win over Man United, the Dutch head coach took aim at Ruben Amorim's approach in the 2-1 defeat to United, setting up in a low block and utilising long balls.
Slot would later clarify that he meant his comments as a compliment to the opposition for finding a way to play against the reigning champions. However, following the win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League, Slot admitted his side were better in dealing with aerial balls into the box.
He said: "That is a big, big, big difference and you go in at half-time at 1-1 with still the same amount of chances, but people will judge us differently if you don’t score them.
"The biggest exception for me compared to the other games we’ve played was the playing style of our opponent. We got some energy out of the moments we could press them, which in the last four or five games we played we were not able to press the opponent because the ball wasn’t on the ground, it was in the air."
However, Johnson believes Slot's comments on style of play should have stayed in the dressing room. Speaking to aceodds.com, Johnson said: "Every team has their own style and you play with what you've got. Everyone wants to play football, in terms of what we call tiki-taka, which is great.
"But if you're susceptible against long balls, people are going to see that and try to exploit it. These days, everyone's got their own styles, the game's changing really quick.
"People need to do whatever they can to get an advantage on their opponents and if they think going long and attacking certain players and certain areas helps, teams are going to do that.
"Usually the managers take the bullet and protect their players but at the same time, managers will also do what they think will get the best reaction out of their players. So if that means pointing the finger at them every now and then, if he's right then it's okay.
"Of course you still need to make sure it's a happy camp and make sure it's constructive what you're actually trying to do rather than dissecting yourself from the team.
"I'm sure he's doing what he thinks is right but in my experience it's always better to have those battles inside the camp and keep it in the dressing room."
Liverpool travel to Brentfor later today, looking to bring an end to their run of three consecutive defeats in the Premier League and reduce the deficit to Arsenal in first place. The Gunners take on Crystal Palace at home tomorrow afternoon.
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