Girona, Dec 11 (IANS) Liverpool manager Arne Slot has said he is pleased with the result that his side made six wins in six games but not the performance in Liverpool’s away win over Girona in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.
Liverpool made it six straight victories in the league phase thanks to a converted penalty from Mohamed Salah in the 63rd minute at Estadi Montilivi.
Alisson Becker marked his return from a two-month lay-off due to injury by producing a number of crucial saves during the first half to deny the La Liga side and ensure the game was goalless at the break.
“If you ask me about all six games, I’m really pleased with all the results. I am really pleased with the five (other) games with the way we played. I’m far from pleased about the performance tonight,” Slot said in a post-match press conference.
“If you play against a team that has such a good idea about football, knows how to bring the ball out from the back – like some other teams we faced recently, like (Manchester) City or Real Madrid – then you need to be so intense if you want to make it difficult for them. But if every time you are waiting a few seconds before you press, and if you do press you are so easily outplayed, then this team can cause you a lot of problems,” he said.
“The other part was every time we lost the ball we were not aggressive enough, so every time we lost the ball they could almost every time go all the way to our goal, having a shot or a blocked shot, and then we could attack again. Hardly any control at all over the game; maybe the second half was a bit better, but then I am trying to be positive,” he added.
Already guaranteed a spot in the knockout rounds, the win puts Liverpool on the brink of a definite top-eight finish, which would see them progress straight to the last 16 and bypass the playoffs.
–IANS
bc/