Liverpool lost 1-2 at home to Manchester United and suffered four consecutive losses in all competitions. However, according to the "Post", the atmosphere in the Liverpool dressing room remains calm.
But this does not mean that the Liverpool team has fallen into silence, but after suffering a tragic losing streak in this month, Slott has felt pressure for the first time in his coaching career. This pressure is not because his coaching position is in jeopardy. In fact, Slaughter has accumulated enough trust to keep him safe, but fans have become increasingly frustrated and their complaints are getting louder.
The team that achieved 23 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss in the first half of the Premier League last season, where did their lethality go? Why did Salah's performance this season, which averaged 1.09 goals or assists per game last season, suffer greatly? In the same period last season, the solid defense only conceded 5 goals in 12 games. Why has it conceded 17 goals now? Where has the unity and understanding on and off the court gone? Anfield, once a fortress for opponents, is now filled with anxiety and the stands are eerily quiet for much of the game. Perhaps it's the pressure of high expectations. At this time last year, a team that was considered to be in transition showed championship potential. Before Slott led the team in the first game, most people, including the coach himself, believed that this team needed time to adjust.
145 days ago, Slott participated in the parade with the Premier League championship trophy. He was indeed responsible for the four-game losing streak, but the main problems still lie in the selection of the lineup, the scheduling in the game and the downplaying of the poor performance after the game. In the Champions League match against Frankfurt in the middle of this week, Ekitic should start against his old club, while Isaac, who signed for 125 million pounds, seems to have not yet found his form. Curtis Jones and Chiesa, who often come off the bench, performed well and deserve more playing time, while Robertson and Joe Gomez also deserve more opportunities.
Some fans are also dissatisfied with Slott taking advantage of the international match days to go to Dubai for vacation. However, according to sources close to the head coach, Slott actually spent most of the trip studying how to reverse the team's decline and watching game videos on his laptop instead of just relaxing and sunbathing. Slaughter has always remained calm and still reads the Telegraph every morning and listens to the talkSPORT radio program on his commute, but he is basically unaffected by negative media opinions. Slaughter is understood to have told his team about a tactic cyclist Lance Armstrong used to demoralize his opponents when he was out of form: smiling for the camera. After losing to Manchester United, Slott also smiled at reporters many times and lived up to his creed.
Slaughter admitted privately that the Dutch media’s questions were more pointed than those of the British media. However, with a few more losses, that could change and no one at Liverpool wants it to get to that point. If the next three league games can be won before the international break in November, then talk of a crisis will disappear, although these games will be quite challenging. In analysis sessions, Slaughter sometimes cuts out negative moments to avoid damaging player confidence. After the game against Manchester United, he highlighted how close Liverpool came to a draw.