In the first part of his weekly column, Liverpool legend John Aldridge looks at what could be learned from the Premier League win at Nottingham Forest and the next step for Rio Ngumoha
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
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If Liverpool didn’t know it already, then they certainly do now. If they want to achieve anything during the rest of this season, they are going to have to fight for it.
We are now at the stage of the campaign where everything is turned into a scrap. Teams are battling for survival at one end of the table and desperate for European qualification and the title itself at the other end.
Nottingham Forest demonstrated that on Sunday when they put everything on the line during a first half in which the Reds were, to be frank, absolutely dreadful. I’m not sure what the teamtalk was but it clearly didn’t have much of an effect.
Liverpool are in a dogfight for that top-five finish with Chelsea and Manchester United. And teams aren’t going to just lie down for Arne Slot’s side.
Hopefully when we play in the Champions League round of 16 next month, the players will realise just how much they want to play in the competition next season. And the easiest way to do that is by finishing as high as possible in the Premier League.
We don’t want to be in a position where we have to win the Champions League to make sure we qualify for it next season.
We can’t afford many slip-ups and the team definitely had the wrong attitude in that first half. Nobody was taking any initiative, nobody held on to the ball and nobody wanted to really step up.
The likes of Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch, normally so careful in possession, were continually giving it away and the whole midfield in particular was atrocious.
Sure, there wasn’t exactly an onslaught from Forest but it was never going to be easy. They have a new manager in charge and the players are obviously going to run through a brick wall for him to prove they should be in the team.
But the only reason were weren’t behind at half-time was the fact defensively, at least in the last line, we did pretty well. And we’ve been defending set-pieces an awful lot better over the last few months.
It’s not rocket science. If you stand still, people will get in front of you. If you attack the ball in your zone, then you’ll either get a touch on it or put an opponent off.
We couldn’t have done much worse in that regard given what was happening earlier in the season.
But our improved ability to fight to defend – and, at the other end, attack – those set-pieces should really set the tone for the rest of our efforts.
Liverpool got away with one at Forest. Now we need to roll our sleeves up and show just how much we want it. It won’t be easy.
Rio getting ready
If you’re good enough then you’re old enough. And Rio Ngumoha is showing he merits more minutes for Liverpool.
I was actually surprised the 17-year-old wasn’t on sooner at Forest given we had a complete lack of pace to get in behind the home defence.
Mohamed Salah couldn’t get past Neco Williams and Cody Gakpo wasn’t having much more joy down the other flank.
It was good that Ngumoha was switched to the right side quickly by Arne Slot. People think he’s just all about the left foot, but he’s two-footed and put in a great ball for Hugo Ekitike, who really should have scored.
I actually think swapping wingers during games is something we should be doing more often, just to add a bit of variety to our attacking game.
Ngumoha is still just a kid and he’s only going to learn from playing games and training with the first team. He is raw and doesn’t always know what’s going to do, and that can be a positive when used in the right way.
I’d like to see him being given longer stints from the bench now. He’s definitely given Slot some real food for thought.