Liverpool must convert chances, insists Arne Slot
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Liverpool manager Arne Slot looking dejected following the 2-1 Premier League loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
AFP
LONDON – Liverpool manager Arne Slot believes his team have learnt their lessons from a 2-1 English Premier League loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers on March 3.
The two teams will clash for the second time in four days when they meet at the Molineux again in the FA Cup fifth round on March 6.
Slot’s men will be desperate for revenge and to get back to winning ways amid a season in which they have underperformed massively. The Reds are sixth in the Premier League in their title defence, outside the Champions League spots.
For now though, the focus is on the FA Cup, as Slot warned his players not to be distracted.
“Every game is important. Last season we tried to win four trophies, this season... two are now not possible, we can’t win the Premier League or League Cup,” the Dutchman said.
“Qualification for Champions League is massive as we all know. But that’s not on the line tomorrow, FA Cup is.”
When asked how his team plan to overcome Wolves after losing a tight match to a stoppage-time goal on March 3, Slot gave a lengthy explanation.
“It wasn’t so difficult to analyse, a lot of ball possession for us without being able to create a lot of chances. Not the first time this season it has happened,” he said on March 5.
“Enough chances to win the game. We didn’t convert into goals. And not for first time this season their first shot on target led to a goal. That was also the moment we started to realise we had to bring even more, and from that moment on, we generated quite a lot of chances, scored, missed a few others...
“It was hard to take. But we are one day before another very important game for us. We analysed it, we know we have to be better tomorrow.”
Liverpool had 19 shots – seven of which were on target – against Wolves, almost five times more than their opponents (four).
Despite their less-than-ideal results in the Premier League, Liverpool have been strong in the FA Cup this season, thrashing Barnsley 4-1 in the third round before beating Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 in the fourth.
The Reds also have a good record against Wolves, despite their recent defeat, winning their previous six meetings.
“There are periods we have conceded a lot of goals on counter-attacks and set pieces. Against Wolves we conceded on counter-attack, but I see an improvement overall in defending them,” Slot added.
“We want to have the ball as often as possible and then get it back as often as possible, so we press high. It’s never the approach that changes in the game. We bring enough players forward but we just aren’t converting enough chances.”
The Liverpool boss also gave an update on the injured Florian Wirtz.
“He could be available for a few minutes tomorrow in the best scenario,” he said.
