Manager Arne Slott admitted Liverpool’s defensive flaws were once again exposed and they collapsed after falling behind against Aston Villa, putting their Champions League place in jeopardy.
Arne Slott suffered the team’s 12th loss in the league this season.
Manager Arne Slott admitted Liverpool’s team had “fallen apart” after conceding the second goal against Aston Villa, and admitted it was now up to the players to “show that they are worthy of the support of the fans” heading into the final day.
The Reds were torn apart by their top-five rivals on Friday night, scoring three goals in the second half to secure a 4-2 victory and a place in next season’s Champions League. The slot side needs to ensure that they can play at the top tables in Europe next season as well.
The Dutchman this week insisted he believed he would be in charge beyond the current campaign amid questions about his position. Slott endured a number of difficulties in his second season at Anfield, experiencing a major downturn in his debut year.
Liverpool looked to be lacking ideas in the final third, but Rio Ngmoja showed some rare brilliance and Villa continued to be left open defensively. After months without finding an answer, Slott needed to pick up the pieces again.
He said: “For most of the game we were in control, but after 2-1 we weren’t. That’s why they scored the third goal. That was the part of the game where we struggled with their pace and intensity.”
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“We’ve conceded too many goals and we haven’t scored enough goals. It’s not bad to score two away at Villa Park, but I think if we had been told before the game that we would score two we would have been better, but of those we conceded four and three came from set-pieces.”
When asked about his players’ mentality, Slott said: “Overall, I don’t think the players deserve what you’re saying. They gave their all and probably could have gotten the result, but after going down 2-1 they struggled. We didn’t give up, but we struggled to control their pace, intensity and control.”
Liverpool’s place in the Champions League could still be in question on the final day, and Slott said: “All we can do now is to have a good week and prepare as well as we can. It’s a long week as always, but we hope the fans will give their best. We’ve seen tonight, as we’ve seen so many times at Anfield, how important it is for everyone to play together. But we have to show that we’re worthy of that support.”
Liverpool remain exposed at both ends of the pitch
Another difficult night means Liverpool have conceded more than 50 goals in 38 Premier League games for the first time in their history, and now have 52 goals conceded with one game remaining in the season.
Slott has steadied his ship somewhat after falling out of title contention in the fall, putting his top-five spot in jeopardy. That is yet to be secured, and there are also calls for the former Feyenoord manager to step down, despite being out of the league for less than 12 months.
Asked about the future, he added: “It’s not about me, I’m disappointed with the result. I spoke about it yesterday and that’s enough. Our focus is on the game against Brentford and making sure we win the support of the fans by starting the game aggressively and well. The culmination of fan support and good performances is what we want to achieve and that will lead to us qualifying for the Champions League.”
Jamie Carragher commented that Liverpool “look like a really average team” and criticized individuals on the pitch, saying they had “too many weak players”.
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