Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah during training. PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON:
Liverpool host PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday hoping Europe can provide relief from a domestic nightmare for the Premier League champions that boss Arne Slot labeled “ridiculous”.
Liverpool have lost eight of their last 11 games in all competitions, including a 3-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest at the weekend that left them 12th in the top flight and putting pressure on their Dutch manager.
“It’s ridiculous. It’s unbelievable,” Slot said of his team’s worrying form. “I have said many times that you will never find enough excuses to play like this. It’s unexpected for the club, for me, for everyone.
“But this is probably the best club to face it, the harder it gets at this club, the more we are together.”
Europe’s top club competition has been a bit of a respite for Liverpool, who have won three of their four games, including a 1-0 win over Real Madrid, which left them eighth with nine points.
Asked if he had to prove himself to the fans, Slot said: “It’s not about a situation like this. Every day, you have to prove yourself at that level. You can’t say I won a championship or something like that.
“You have to win the next game, for me and the players,” he added. “This is the environment I like to work in. I don’t know if I have to prove myself to the fans as well as myself.”
Slot said the team’s defensive weaknesses were crucial.
“The amount of goals we’re conceding is the big difference between this season and last season,” he said. “The first time (Forest) got to our 18-yard line on a set, they scored. It took us a while to recover from that.
“In terms of conceding last season, we had zero set pieces at this point last season. This season, it’s nine. From open play, we still have enough opportunities to score.”
The solution, Slot said, lies in collective responsibility.
“The whole team needs to help defensively to get us out of the slump,” he noted.
Liverpool face a tough opponent in PSV, who are six points clear at the top of the Eredivisie with 11 wins from 13 matches. They are in 18th place in the Champions League table with five points.
“I wouldn’t say he’s a good opponent to have right now,” Slot said. “They had a difficult time last season and the start of this season, but in the last two or three months they are a winning machine.”
The Reds can at least take heart from their recent form in home Champions League games, with wins in their last 13 either in the league or in the group stage.
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