Even as Liverpool are in a slump of staggering proportions, Arne Slot has one fewer critic. In his own family, anyway. In March, as Liverpool cruised towards the Premier League title, the Dutchman revealed his father had found fault with their performances. In tougher times, however, Arend Slot has become more sympathetic. A former coach of VV Bergentheim, an amateur team in the Netherlands, he has some insight into the job and its demands. Now, however, parental duties have taken over.
“I don’t think he likes it more,” said his son. “As a dad, when things go well, you can criticise more. As a dad, he knows how difficult it is for me. To give me another hit is not the best thing you can do as a dad. He is a bit more supportive now than when we are winning.”
But if Slot Sr has changed tack, the more pertinent question is whether his son can do likewise. After nine defeats in 12 games, it can feel as though the Liverpool head coach is looking for a change in fortune by doing the same things with the same players. The definition of madness or a firm belief in his methods? Slot is waiting for the luck to even itself out, arguing Liverpool’s talent is such that they should not be losing so many games. Which, while true, does not necessarily constitute a strategy for revival.
If Slot will not change, his view is that, realistically, he cannot. “I don’t know what is in your head, but if, for example, you want another system with five defenders that could be an issue,” he said. “I don’t even have five defenders.” If that reflects the injuries to Giovanni Leoni, Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong, it also shows the choices Liverpool made, with only four centre-backs in the squad even before the Italian was ruled out. The only time Slot used a back three was in the Carabao Cup game against Crystal Palace. Liverpool lost 3-0.
Slot appeared to play more of a 4-3-3, Jurgen Klopp’s favoured formation, against Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Liverpool lost 3-0 then, too. Otherwise, however, he has been wedded to 4-2-3-1.
“This suits the players best, the system we are playing now, they have played this system probably throughout their whole career and there is hardly any training time for us,” added Slot. “So it is almost impossible to change our complete idea about football if we play every two days.”
Within that, though, there are personnel choices. Slot argued that everyone who has been fit has had plenty of minutes, apart from Wataru Endo and Joe Gomez. The Japan captain, a talisman two years ago, has only had four minutes in the Premier League since August. Slot’s explanation for his absence was that: “Ryan [Gravenberch] is not performing the worst from all of our players. That is Ryan’s best position and the same as Wata.” When he used Endo at right-back briefly against Bournemouth, he remembered the criticism.
Gomez has only played 43 minutes in the Premier League this season and none in the Champions League. It is more remarkable given Ibrahima Konate’s wretched form. Slot has seemed obdurate in his defensive pecking order. At left-back, Andy Robertson has started seven games this season and Liverpool have only lost two. Compare that with nine of the 14 Milos Kerkez has begun.
Yet the numbers indicate Liverpool must improve defensively. Only eight teams have allowed more shots on target in the Premier League, only four have a higher expected goals against. Slot feels that comes in part from context, from chasing games after forever going behind. In all competitions, they have conceded first in 10 of their last 12 games. In six of them, they were breached in the opening 16 minutes.
That has been compounded by the lack of a clinical streak. Liverpool have underperformed on their expected goals in both the Premier League and the Champions League. Their greatest underachiever, across the two competitions, is Alexander Isak, and if Slot could not overlook a £125m signing, there is a case for saying Federico Chiesa is a third back-up player who could have been used more. Isak came on before Chiesa against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday. The Italian was livelier than the Swede. The 4-1 loss to PSV felt like a new low.
“I have already thought a few times that we hit the worst point,” said Slot. “Because many times I have said – and actually I still feel this about [PSV] as well – that the score does not reflect the way we played.” Statistics may support his case. Liverpool have had a higher expected goals in three of their six Premier League defeats and both Champions League losses; they have the third highest xG in the European competition.
But perhaps that supports Slot’s case that the main thing that needs to change is the results, that they will start winning just because they have good players.
“So every time you are thinking we can keep playing the same but hopefully do better because this team should – and can – play better than we do,” he continued.
“Make no mistake about that: it is not that we perform at the highest standards we can perform at. But you should expect that given the quality we have, that we have reached the lowest point a few times.”
Have Liverpool hit rock bottom? Slot must hope so. Because while he has a supportive sounding board, maybe Arend Slot never went on a run quite like this in charge of VV Bergentheim.
