Arne Slot has admitted that he was “far from happy with a few individual performances,” despite Liverpool beating Southampton 2-1.
The head coach made 11 changes to the team that beat Everton, and he selected a young set of substitutes with five academy players on the bench.
It might have come as no surprise then that his side looked less than fluent, in the first half especially, but the boss still expected more.
Two men who did perform well, though, were Andy Robertson and Federico Chiesa. He used them as an example for others to follow.
Referring to the Italian’s second assist of the night, Slot said: “It wasn’t a coincidence again that he was the man that made a deep run.
“Great ball by Robbo by the way, who also has won so much at this club and also understands how to play this game: not underestimate it, just always be ready to play.
“That’s also the way to get yourself either back in the team or get as much playing minutes as you want.
“That’s why I was happy with a few individual performances but far from happy with a few other individual performances.”
Asked if he would elaborate on who he was “far from happy with,” Slot replied: “No, but I think these players who I mean, I think they know already.”
To whom was Arne Slot referring?
A player in Slot’s bad books for the night was Hugo Ekitike, who is now suspended for Liverpool’s Premier League trip to Crystal Palace after being shown a second yellow card for taking his shirt off following his winning goal.
“It was needless, yes, and it was stupid, yep,” Slot said of the Frenchman’s dismissal – the first booking came after he kicked the ball away in frustration.
Also potentially in for a dressing down was Jeremie Frimpong.
The right-back has looked promising in his previous showings since signing from Bayer Leverkusen, but Tuesday night saw him put in a poor performance.
The 24-year-old was FotMob‘s lowest-rated Liverpool player at 6.3 out of 10, as he managed zero defensive contributions and lost four duels while winning just one.
For Liverpool’s match against Crystal Palace, Conor Bradley should return to the starting XI, while it will likely be Alexander Isak to replace Ekitike in the starting lineup.
If Slot doesn’t deem Isak fit to start, however, Federico Chiesa could be given a chance through the middle after his strong performance in midweek.
Jayden Danns is Liverpool’s other option up front – he also looked bright during his 20 minutes on the pitch against Southampton.
Fan Comments