Arne Slott admitted Liverpool have yet to find an answer to teams using long balls and low blocks after their 3-2 defeat at Brentford.
Slott spoke bluntly about opponents sitting deep and going straight in the build-up to the game at the Gtech Community Stadium, which ended in the Reds’ fourth consecutive Premier League defeat and his side were punished in the same way on Saturday night.
Dango Ouattara opened Michael Kayode’s first-half opener from long range, a threat that Slott admitted Liverpool had thoroughly prepared for in training on Friday, with Brentford also making 62 long passes on the night, their highest of the season so far.
Arne Slot reacts from the sidelines at Gtech Community Stadium and looks dejected (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)
“Quite a few things,” Slott said in his post-match press conference when asked what was the cause of Liverpool’s current struggles.
“Definitely teams have a certain style of play against us, it’s a very good strategy to play. We haven’t found the answer yet.
“Being 1-0 down doesn’t help after five minutes. Even today, when we don’t play well, we can score two goals.”
“But you can’t compete, which we’re not doing at the moment, because we’re conceding too many goals. It’s not just the defense you do with 11 players together.”
Slott also admitted that Liverpool’s dealings in the summer transfer window, which saw them spend over £400m on six new signings, played a part in their slow start to the campaign, with the club now in sixth place.
He added: “It has to do with when you change a lot in the summer. I didn’t expect it to go with four defeats in a row.”
Dango Ouattara celebrates as Brentford take the lead
Slot: We prepared for long throws
Slott said Liverpool’s entire training session on Friday was focused on preparing for Brentford’s long crosses, but their hard work was quickly undone when Brentford opened the scoring with Kayode’s long cross just five minutes in.
Asked if they spent the entire week preparing for those situations, Slott said: “Yeah, that’s the only thing we did yesterday on the practice field, preparing for that and the meeting today.
The Liverpool boss also admitted he was wary of their counter-attacking threat, which saw Kevin Schade double their lead just before half-time after racing on goal to set up Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Kevin Schade leaves Ibrahima Konate behind to score Brentford’s second goal
“That’s not the only thing we’ve prepared them for as Brentford are also known for very good sets,” he continued.
“They’re also known for fantastic counter-attacking and that was their second goal and I don’t think at this point that should ever be seen as an excuse.”