Arne Slot admitted Liverpool’s first-half efficiency towards Southampton was a “warning signal” as he needed to “create anger” within the dressing room on the break.
Trailing to Will Smallbone’s added-time purpose after a misunderstanding between Virgil van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Slot – who was watching from the Major Stand as he was serving the final sport of his touchline suspension – moved shortly to rectify the scenario.
Having issued his gamers with an order to extend the tempo, he made a triple substitution with Harvey Elliott, Andy Robertson and Alexis Mac Allister approaching and instantly altering the dynamic.
Throughout the area of 5 minutes, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah, with the primary of two penalties, had turned issues round because the Premier League leaders stretched their benefit on the high to 16 factors forward of their Champions League second-leg conflict with PSG on Tuesday at Anfield.
Slot instructed Sky Sports activities: “It was a really poor efficiency within the first half. Perhaps if you happen to see the highlights you’d really feel there have been three or 4 possibilities, however we weren’t within the sport in any respect and it did not come to a shock to me that we conceded a purpose. Particularly if you happen to have a look at the way in which we conceded it, it tells you all about our first half.
“We discovered a approach to win the sport within the second half.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Liverpool’s win towards Southampton within the Premier League
“Within the media, in my conferences, I made clear to them how tough of a sport this was and that we’ve got to play on totally different depth ranges than we have performed towards Paris Saint-Germain. Perhaps additionally to get used to that degree of depth that we’ll expertise Tuesday once more. However in the long run I needed to make some arduous selections, possibly at half-time, to create a sure anger with the gamers.
“That triple substitution in the beginning of the second half appeared to reignite the group. The three that got here in did very well. That is the very first thing, however I might see from the opposite eight a special perspective as effectively.
“So if you happen to have a look at the primary purpose, we performed the ball to Diaz and impulsively he was on tempo attempting to create one thing, the place within the first half he stored the ball ready, ready, ready and that was not just for him, however normally.
“And within the second purpose you can see Ryan Gravenberch pushing up, successful the second ball which led to the penalty, the place within the first half they may each time escape after we crossed the ball.
“I am totally conscious of the truth that if you happen to play a season, you can not play 38 instances within the highest depth or the absolute best soccer you may play. So typically you need to discover one other approach of successful a sport.
“However the first half at present is hopefully a warning signal as a result of like I stated, we have skilled it already in Paris, that the depth, the way in which they play, was very excessive for us on that night time. And if I evaluate it with the depth we performed at present, it is not one, two, three, 4, 5 steps, it is most likely six or seven or eight steps down in the direction of the depth ranges of Paris Saint-Germain.”
