Liverpool 0-3 Crystal Palace: Match Review
Liverpool have failed to keep a clean sheet in their past 10 matches and have lost their previous four Premier League games.
Arne Slot has suggested that he won’t diverge from his attacking beliefs to arrest Liverpool’s poor form.
Pressure is beginning to build on Reds head coach Slot despite winning the Premier League title last season. The Reds find themselves seven points behind leaders Arsenal after nine games, having lost their past four matches - and been defeated in six of their previous seven games in all competitions.
During that run, Liverpool have failed to keep a clean sheet in 10 fixtures - and recorded only two shutouts throughout the campaign. In their recent run of league losses, nine goals have been conceded, while a much-changed team was beaten 3-0 by Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup fourth round.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s clash against Aston Villa, LiverpoolWorld asked Slot if that is something that he could consider. The Reds boss explained it’s a tactic he has deployed previously, most notably in last season’s 2-0 triumph at Manchester City. But as he does not feel Liverpool have been conceding a lot of gilt-edged chances, he is unlikely to become more pragmatic.
What’s been said
The Anfield boss said: “It does go against my beliefs but I have won games in the past. Man City away maybe went against my beliefs but it was necessary to play it like that in the second half so I would be more than open to adapt in certain situations.
“But I don’t think the story is, at least in my opinion, that we concede chance after chance after chance and are too open, it is absolutely not like this. Every game, except apart from Palace in the first half when we could be been two or three nil down and maybe Brentford, I thought we deserved more than we got and we hardly conceded a chance.
“Even this week, the team I put out which has hardly played together we hardly put out together we only conceded three big chances but they all went in but that's because they were big chances. I don't see us conceding changes so I don’t see a reason to change our playing style completely but we need to do better.”
Villa respite from long balls
Liverpool’s troubles have also been because of teams playing long balls against them. No team in the Premier League has had to deal with the tactic as much as the Reds. However, Villa ranks 19th for the most long passes played this season.
Slot added: "When people ask me after the game 'why was it difficult?' I try and explain why it was difficult and I answer that - people don't ask me why I come up with excuses and then I give an answer. I tried to explain for the first time after Man Utd because the games before that I felt it would be stupid to say so because I'm not 100 per cent sure if everybody is already noticing what we are seeing. Then I underestimate a lot of analysts throughout the country.
"But if it happens after the 10th game and nine of them were so much focus on long balls, I think it is fair for me to say that without opening the eyes of upcoming opponents.
"These two teams we face now indeed bring the ball out from the back more but they are also very good at it. City are a high-pressing team that are really good at high-pressing but I did see Villa being able to play through that multiple times. And if I am 100 per cent correct, they won the game by a set-piece. So, again, another time the importance of a set-piece."
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