Liverpool manager Arne Slot has said he did not enjoy his team’s performance in the 1-0 victory over Girona in the UEFA Champions League. Slot said the Reds lacked aggression and failed to take control of proceedings at Estadi Montilivi.
Liverpool Extends Perfect Champions League Record
Premier League leaders Liverpool made the trip to the Estadi Montilivi in Catalonia for their UEFA Champions League Matchday 6 clash with Girona on Tuesday night, December 10. Having won their previous five matches, the Reds were the overwhelming favorites to claim the maximum points against Michel’s side.
Uncharacteristically the Merseysiders had a nervy start to the game. They looked clueless on the ball and lost it cheaply whenever the La Liga side put pressure on them. Girona created quite a few goalscoring opportunities in the first half but could not apply the finishing touch.
The game tilted in Liverpool’s favor on the hour mark as Donny van de Beek fouled Luis Diaz inside the box. After a lengthy VAR check, Liverpool got a penalty, which Mohamed Salah put away to make it 1-0. Girona tried hard to restore parity but ultimately fell short.
Arne Slot Unhappy With Reds’ Performance in Girona Win
Speaking after the game, Liverpool manager Slot revealed he did not like what he saw from his team on Tuesday.
“I am far from pleased about the performance tonight,” he said (via Sky Sports).
Explaining what he did not like in particular, Slot added:
“Especially two things. If you play against a team who has such a good idea about football and know how to bring the ball out from the back like some other teams we faced recently, like [Manchester] City or Real Madrid then you have to be so intense if you want to make it difficult for them.
“But if every time you are waiting a few seconds and then if you do press, you are so easily out-played as this team can cause you problems and this is what they showed during the whole Champions League campaign, except for PSV Eindhoven away. I almost feel sorry for them because they deserve so much more in this campaign than the three points they have now.”
He concluded by adding:
“And every time we lost the ball we were not aggressive enough, almost every time they just went all the way to our goal. We had hardly any control in the game, maybe the second half was better – I’m trying to be positive.”
Slot’s Liverpool will return to action with a clash against Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday, December 14.
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