Arne Slott says he is “more than open to” tweaking the system and working “against belief” to pull Liverpool out of doldrums.
Wednesday’s Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace left the reigning Premier League champions with six defeats in seven games, and they will aim to get their season back on track when they welcome Aston Villa to Anfield on Saturday night.
Slott has led Liverpool to the top of the table with five wins from their first five games of the season, but they currently sit an improbable second in the Premier League sack race and have faced huge criticism this week for resting most of their stuttering first-team stars and almost conceding the game to Crystal Palace.
He claimed before and after the defeat that a desire to “create a path” for Liverpool’s young players was key to his team and team selection, but he also complained about the lack of available players.
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In a press conference ahead of the game against Villa, Slott moved to clarify those comments, insisting he was “completely happy” with the quality he had at his disposal and that the problem was not the players he had, but how many players were injured or who were not yet fit because they had not had a “proper pre-season”.
“We haven’t missed anything. I’m completely satisfied with the team and all our qualities. I’m also completely confident in our strategy and direction. So the problem is also that not everyone has had a proper pre-season or is injured,” Slott said.
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“I strongly believe that 21, 22 players are enough, but we have to keep them healthy, just like we did last season. We are working a little harder to keep them healthy for obvious reasons. I can’t make excuses for the result, but we had to play a lot of away games with only two days off.”
Slott was also asked if he would consider tweaking his system to be more defensive, with his side having conceded 14 goals in the Premier League already this season and being more open at the back, similar to last season’s solid defense.
He added: “It goes against my beliefs, but I have won against my beliefs in the past, like the away game against Man City. I will adapt depending on the situation.”
“I don’t think it’s a case of us conceding goal after goal by accident. This is definitely not the case. I don’t see any reason to change our style completely, but we need to get better.”
