Duels lost, lack of rotation, and poor choices – 5 key takeaways from Liverpool 0-1 Forest

Liverpool suffered their first defeat under Arne Slot in a disappointing display at Anfield, highlighting areas for improvement for the new manager.

Liverpool 0-1 Nottingham Forest

Poor decisions from players and manager

Erroneous choices by both the players and the manager hindered multiple Liverpool attacks and chances throughout the match. This issue appeared to affect the entire team, suggesting a problem with the overall setup rather than just individual poor performances.

A Mohamed Salah shot in the second half epitomized their attacking struggles, as it veered closer to the corner flag than the goal. With 15 minutes remaining, Salah opted to shoot despite having three teammates positioned at the far post.

Salah wasn’t alone in his struggles; Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz also faced difficulties in attack, and those supporting them were similarly ineffective. Dominik Szoboszlai, who has maintained a pass success rate of 93% in the Premier League this season, saw his accuracy drop to 78% in this match. Salah’s pass success rate also decreased from his usual 87% to 70%.

At times, there was a sloppiness that bordered on confusion, with two players even colliding while attempting to take control of an attacking move. Slot’s adjustments to address the issues did not succeed, and the second half faded away without rekindling Liverpool’s chances.

Not much for Anfield to get behind

Due to the lack of precision and cohesion, there was little for the fans to rally behind. The absence of intense counter-pressing meant that only the ball play could energize the crowd, which it seldom did. Diaz struck the post and Matz Sels nearly scored an own goal, but apart from these moments, there was little to excite the fans.

Such lulls did occur under Jurgen Klopp, and they might not be a regular feature under Slot, but the overall performance felt lackluster. Nottingham Forest’s effective setup contributed to the subdued atmosphere at Anfield, mirroring the frustration of the players.

Despite having 70% possession, Liverpool managed only five shots on target compared to Forest’s three. Going forward, Liverpool might need to be more assertive to foster a winning environment. Federico Chiesa’s potential debut could have added some spark, but he was omitted from the squad, with four defenders instead named on the bench.

Trent slotting into midfield revisited

Contrary to expectations that Slot’s arrival would end Trent Alexander-Arnold’s role as a midfielder, Slot reintroduced it in the second half. Conor Bradley replaced Alexis Mac Allister, allowing Trent to move into midfield. This change shifted the midfield structure to a 1-2 formation, with Trent alongside Szoboszlai and Gravenberch holding in front of the defense.

Although the Trent midfield experiment seemed abandoned at both club and international levels this season, Slot demonstrated it remains an option. However, based on this performance, he might reconsider using it in future matches.

Losing the duels

Despite Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate being generally solid at the back, Liverpool struggled to win duels elsewhere on the pitch. Their ground duel win percentage hovered around 35% throughout the game. Nottingham Forest’s full-backs, Ola Aina and Alex Moreno, performed well against Salah and Diaz until Liverpool made changes.

Alexander-Arnold won only four of 12 ground duels, according to FotMob. Given Slot’s emphasis on duels, particularly after substituting Jarell Quansah at halftime in the season opener, this performance might be particularly disappointing and could be seen as a reason for the loss.

Rotation soon?

Aside from the Quansah substitution, Slot has used the same lineup in his matches so far. With a busy fixture schedule ahead, Slot will need to manage his squad effectively to return to winning ways. He acknowledged in his pre-match press conference that he was not accustomed to frequent rotations at his previous club, Feyenoord, stating, “My former teams we were able to actually play almost every game with the same players but it is a different league so I might have to adjust to that.”

With seven starters having played the maximum 180 minutes for their countries during the international break, the fatigue was evident, and it was surprising that Wataru Endo was not utilized in this game. By the time Liverpool realized they might have needed him, it was too late.