Poor performance up front due to lack of “attacking options”; Liverpool boss would love to “play with eight attackers”
Arne Slot knows his side need to improve attacking wise but says the problem is due to a lack of personnel rather than tactics or the desire.
Liverpool were without Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday, and it was evident in the way they struggled to create any clear chances up front, despite dominating possession for long stretches.
But Slot felt his side “showed great resilience” and was encouraged by the overall performance despite their deficiencies in attack.
“If you miss out on so many attacking options and you come here against Fulham – and they’re a good team having good ideas about football and we hardly conceded any chances against them,” Slot said.
“I think they had one other chance in the second half when we maybe messed it up a little bit ourselves when they had a chip on the bar. But for the rest, I think we controlled the game.”
Liverpool’s manager insisted the reason for their lacklustre performance going forward was not in his attacking philosophy, as he is very much interested in taking the game to the opponent.
“Yes, I would love us to create more from our ball possession, I can tell you this,” said Slot. “My philosophy of football hasn’t changed. This year compared to all the seasons I was a manager before, we have to do it with the players that we have available, and I think today 11 very good football players were on the pitch.
“Maybe not all of them in their normal position, but in the first half they controlled the game. Just before they scored, we had exactly the same chance from Cody Gakpo, which went on the other side of the post. And in the second half, two disallowed goals, two goals scored, a header on the bar. So things to like but the result is again not what we may deserve.”
Given the absences, Slot started Cody Gakpo in a central position, with Curtis Jones, Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai lining up behind him in a 4-2-3-1. Wirtz and Gakpo scored to overturn Fulham’s opener and place Liverpool on the cusp of victory at the Cottage, but ultimately it was not the attack but the defending that let down the visitors, Harrison Reed allowed far too much space and time to fire an unbelievable shot from range into the top corner to salvage a draw. Slot has been vocal this season about the need for his side to improve on their defending.
“I would love to create five times as many chances as we do now and not concede a chance at all,” Slot said.
“But I do know in the period of time when we were playing, maybe either with different players or more open that we didn’t create more chances, but we conceded much more. And unfortunately, we don’t concede a lot at the moment in terms of chances, but goal wise, maybe not a lot has changed.
“But like I said, I didn’t change as a manager. I would love to play with eight attackers if that’s possible defensively as well, but if those eight attackers don’t defend enough, then it’s hard to win a game of football, but we don’t have eight attackers, so that’s not possible.”
