Arne Slot knows Liverpool struggle against low block – it influenced transfer window

Arne Slot has explained how Liverpool’s need to find ways through the opposition’s low block inspired their summer activity, as he does not want to rely on luck or a set piece.

Not for the first time, Slot spoke openly about how the opposition have changed their approach to how they set up against Liverpool compared to his first few months in charge.

“Teams played in a completely different way in the first half of the season against us than they did when we were top of the league,” Slot said on Friday.

That inspired the need for signings over the summer that would help create chances and turn narrow wins into dominant victories, which has yet to come to fruition as the settling-in period continues.

“We were very happy winning the league, but we didn’t shut our eyes for the second part of the season,” Slot told reporters, including the Echo.

“How many times we needed a set-piece to win, which is not something bad because Arsenal and Chelsea are needing a set-piece almost every single game at the moment.

“That’s why we also had the window that we had – sometimes to replace, sometimes to add a certain quality.

“And it’s up to us to show that we can do better in these kind of games than we did in the second part of last season and the first part of this season.”

Liverpool scored 85.1 percent of their goals from open play in the first 19 league games last season and in the final 19 it dropped to 69.2 percent, and late winners have now become the theme.

“In the meantime, we almost won every single game [this season],” he added.

“But the margins are not the same any more as the first part of the last season, with 3-0 against Bournemouth, 6-3 at Tottenham and 5-0 at West Ham.

“And then you depend a bit more on luck or bad luck or on a set-piece.

“We are trying to go to a situation where we don’t need a set-piece to win a game or we don’t need someone to fall on the ground to get a penalty, or a referee to do extra time of extra time of extra time.

“That is something we dislike.”

It would reduce the stress of watching Liverpool, who are far from the finished product, but it is clear that Slot has recognised what needs changing and that patience is needed while it all comes together.