Slott told TNT Sports: “You can’t compare everything (four league losses), but the most worrying thing is four consecutive losses. You can judge by performance, but in my opinion today was the worst of all four games.Again, it’s difficult to win football games when you concede set pieces and don’t score any points.”
“We didn’t do the basics right in the first half and part of the second half.
“They won more duels than us, they won more second balls than us. If you come here and you know whether you’re going to concede or not, one of them might be a set piece and the counter-attack is also one of their biggest strengths and that’s why we conceded two goals.”
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“I never went into the game to get a result” – slot on the “worst” performance of conceding goals.
Video credit: TNT Sports
Were Liverpool “unlucky” to be given a decisive penalty?
Brentford supporters chanted that Slott would be sacked in the morning, and Liverpool’s fourth straight Premier League defeat was ended after sharp VAR intervention.
Referee Tim Robinson, who replaced Simon Hooper during the match referee’s injury break, was told to stop play in the second half with the score at 2-1 after VAR John Brooks discovered that Ouattara’s foul on Virgil van Dijk had been committed on the line in the penalty area.
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Thiago makes Brentford 3-1 after Van Dijk gives away controversial penalty
Video credit: TNT Sports
Slott gave Brentford some breathing room by giving his own opinion on the penalty decision.
“We were unlucky to give away a penalty,” he said. “I don’t know if the referee would have given them a penalty if he thought it was inside the penalty area at the time. He thought it was soft contact but it was outside the penalty area. He thought of giving a free kick but it turned out to be inside the area so VAR had to overturn it because that was his job.”
“After losing 3-1, we tried and substituted some players, but to be honest it was probably more likely that they would have scored at that point than us, making it 3-2.”
McManaman: ‘Slot has to go back to players he trusts’
This is the first time since the 1993/94 season that Liverpool have lost four of their first nine Premier League games.
The Merseysiders are the fourth reigning Premier League champions to lose four games in a row, following Leicester in 2016/17, Liverpool in 2020/21 and Manchester City last season.
“Liverpool are not playing well,” former Liverpool midfielder Steve McManaman told TNT Sports. “They’re just playing as individuals. They’re not miles away from it, but they’re playing the same way they did last year. They’re just waiting for the magic moment from different people from time to time. They’re very open and they’re starting to panic, so the football is very chaotic.
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‘They could have conceded more goals’: McManaman criticizes ‘chaotic’ Liverpool
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“They have to get back to the way they were last year, playing as a unit and cohesive. It’s haphazard at the moment. Everyone is running around here and there and we don’t have a solid midfield.”
“They’re trying to push players in there who should probably be taken out of the side at the moment. The slot has to go back to players that they really trust and know can do it.”
“Liverpool have a home game coming up and they have to turn things around. Last season, when they were winning the league easily, they were doing the usual things. Now they have to take the criticism on the chin and respond to it.”
“Mo Salah needs to take the criticism on his chin, Virgil van Dijk needs to take it, Florian Wirths needs to take it too, because £100 million has been spent on him…they have to respond to that.
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Ouattara puts Brentford ahead, Liverpool come back with a set piece
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“Tonight, Liverpool missed the control and leadership of Jordan Henderson in the middle of the park. They were running all over the place. The first half was chaos. There were acres of space. The question marks against Liverpool are increasing, who is their best eleven and who should they trust?
“Those questions will continue until we take action to win and turn the team around. Liverpool need to score three goals to have any chance of winning any game. The problem of conceded goals is screaming from the paper.”
“We have to defend from the front, we have to be more organized. Liverpool conceded three goals but they could have conceded more. They are gambling because they are always behind in games. That means they need to add more forwards, but then the game gets stretched out too much. They looked disorganized and didn’t look like a team that could get results.”
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Great assist from Dams Goal for Scheid to slot home and double Brentford’s lead.
Video credit: TNT Sports
Cole: So many changes to title-winning team were ‘insane’
The problem of conceding too many goals has been present since May, with Liverpool conceding at least twice in nine Premier League games, more than any other team, but they have conceded 14 goals in nine Premier League games this season. Last season, they didn’t allow a 14th goal until round 16.
Joe Cole told TNT Sports: “It was really disconcerting because at the beginning of the season we were all rooting for them. They improved the team, especially signing Wirtz, who was the best player in Germany. But I always come back to the word ‘balance’. There is no balance in the team. Last year they were a very beautifully balanced team. There was no one to counter them.”
“Set-pieces weren’t the problem. Van Dijk was Van Dijk, but they haven’t quite figured it out yet. They need to go back to what they’ve tried and do simple things. They’ve conceded too many goals, so they need to get the basics right.”
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“It’s going to be controversial” – boos as Kerkez pulls one back for Liverpool
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“It was crazy to make so many changes from a title-winning team. Trent Alexander-Arnold forced Jeremy Frimpong and they felt they had to sign two strikers, but I can’t think of many champions who have effectively changed four of their starters. The slot is trying to find balance, but the midfield is disjointed.”
Liverpool have lost the same number of games this season in the Premier League as they lost in the whole of last season. They lost four straight league games for the first time since February 2021, but their previous four losses had been 47 games in a row.
Van Dijk vowed to halt the slide, telling TNT Sports: “The reality is that we lost today. We have our next game on Wednesday, against a team that has already made life difficult for us this season (Crystal Palace).”
“We have to change our mindset quite quickly to prepare for that. They will come to Anfield to hurt us even more, which is difficult to accept. We can’t deny it. It’s not an easy moment. We were trying to build on our performance against Frankfurt and today was not a good night.”
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“What a finish!” – Salah Rifles gives Liverpool a lifeline with a half-volley into the roof of the net
Video credit: TNT Sports
“It’s difficult to say[why we haven’t kept a clean sheet]. In fact, we haven’t kept a clean sheet in nine games in a row. It’s easy to blame certain people, the backline, set-pieces. But it’s ultimately a collective thing. Everyone has to look in the mirror, including me. I’m sure we’ll come out of this situation.”
“But we can’t just talk about it. We’ll try to improve. We need each other and we need support. I want the people who celebrated with us last year to be with us even more than they are now. We have quality both offensively and defensively, so we’ll be able to get out of this situation.”
Henderson: “Liverpool will get their rhythm back”
It was an emotional moment for Brentford captain Henderson, who faced his former club for the first time since leaving Anfield in July 2023 after 12 years of service and 492 appearances.
The 35-year-old produced a controlled performance in midfield that the visiting side lacked, but Henderson believes Liverpool have too much quality to turn their recent decline into a full-fledged crisis.
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Cole compares Isaac and Ekitike’s dilemma to the dynamic between Carol and Suarez.
Video credit: TNT Sports
“From the beginning to the end we stuck together, but we knew it was going to be difficult at times. Liverpool are a world-class team,” he told TNT Sport.
“I look around the pitch and I don’t see any weaknesses in their team. I know the recent results have not been good for them, but for me they are still top players, they are still a top team and it is only a matter of time before they get into a rhythm.”
“There’s a reason why they haven’t reached the heights they did last season, but they’re still a world-class team and they have world-class players everywhere you look on the pitch.”
