Liverpool need to tighten up defensively, Arne Slot says after Community Shield loss
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Liverpool manager Arne Slot reacts as his side plays against Crystal Palace.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Liverpool have conceded too many goals in pre-season and need to adapt defensively when they begin their Premier League title defence, manager Arne Slot said on Aug 10 after his side lost the Community Shield
The Reds have splashed the cash this summer, signing playmaker Florian Wirtz, plus forward Hugo Ekitike and attacking full-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, though key players have also departed.
After winning the league in Slot’s first term with only Federico Chiesa added to the squad left by former boss Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool fans’ expectations for the coming season have been buoyed by the uncharacteristic transfer spree.
The new-look side have started brightly, with Liverpool scoring 20 goals in six pre-season friendlies and looking fluent at times against Palace, and Slot saying his side “are able to create more and we are more comfortable on the ball”.
The Reds took the lead twice through Frimpong and Ekitike, but were pegged back each time by Jean Philippe-Mateta and Ismaila Sarr as the match ended in a 2-2 draw before Palace prevailed 3-2 on penalties.
Before the match, Slot’s men conceded eight times in their last four warmup games, with the Dutch manager expressing concern that their improved attack may have come at a price.
“Last season we had a lot of ball possession, but that didn’t always lead to promising situations,” he said.
“Now we are better in creating and getting promising situations than we were, in my opinion, throughout the whole last season.
“But the other side is also true... and what made us really strong last season was we only won mostly (by) a margin of one goal and that had mostly to do with us keeping a clean sheet or as a maximum conceding one goal.”
Slot, who was without Ryan Gravenberch as the Dutch midfielder’s partner was giving birth, added: “It needs maybe a little bit of adjustment defensively at the moment because we don’t concede a lot of chances, but we do concede goals at the moment.”
Slot was nonetheless confident Liverpool, who start their Premier League campaign against Bournemouth at Anfield on Aug 15, could integrate their new signings, adding that “sometimes you need some time either to adapt offensively (or) to adapt defensively”.
But Liverpool fans can take heart from the fact that only eight of the 33 winners of the Community or Charity Shield in the Premier League era have gone on to win the top-flight title, the last being Manchester City in the 2018-19 season.
Slot also addressed the disruption to the minute’s silence held in remembrance of former Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva before the match.
The duo died in a car crash in northern Spain in July.
Referee Chris Kavanagh had to cut short the tribute after supporters at the east end of Wembley, where Palace fans were located, tried to shush it down.
“I don’t think this was planned, or that this was the idea of the fan that made some noise. Maybe he wasn’t aware of the fact that it was the minute of silence,” Slot said.
“He was just still happy and tried to cheer for his team. And I think then the fans of Palace were trying to calm that person or those persons down, so I don’t think he had a bad intention, the guy or people that made noise.
“They tried to calm him down, but that was a bit noisy as well. And then our fans reacted, ‘Hey, what’s happening here?’”
Reds captain Virgil van Dijk, however, expressed disappointment, saying: “I don’t know who did it, but there was plenty trying to shush it down, so obviously that doesn’t help it.
“But it is what it is. You can’t control how many fans were here? Was it 80,000 people? So it’s disappointing to hear that, but if that person or those persons can go home and be happy with themselves, then...”
In a post on X, Palace fanzine and podcast Five Year Plan apologised on behalf of Eagles supporters.
It had initially claimed that some Eagles fans were not aware of the minute’s silence after having difficulty getting into Wembley.
But they later posted: “Some of our own fans have said people did boo. Which is really disappointing. Jota’s death shocked us. We can’t believe people would boo any memorial to him. Let alone our own fans. We can’t speak for them but we can apologise for their actions. So we’re sorry.” REUTERS
