Arne Slot explains why he wasn’t ‘delighted’ with Liverpool’s performance vs. Bologna

Arne Slot gave a typically straight response to a question about being “delighted” with Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Bologna, insisting there was a lot to improve.

Slot oversaw a 2-0 victory in his first Champions League game at Anfield, with Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah scoring the goals.

Despite being overwhelming favourites, Liverpool only saw 52 percent of possession at home and fired fewer shots on goal than Bologna (9-12), with both sides seeing one big chance each per FotMob – the visitors missing theirs.

While the three points were paramount, speaking to TNT Sports after the Game Slot made it aware that he was not “delighted” with what he saw.

“I don’t know if there were many things I was ‘delighted’ with, apart from both goals, because we scored two very good goals – especially the second one,” he explained.

“It came from a moment when Diogo dropped. Because they played man-mark all over the pitch, if a striker drops and keeps the ball [you are through].

“Great ball from Virgil, great attack, great overlapping from Trent as well, so I was delighted with that goal.

“But it’s always difficult to play a team that takes that much risk and is constantly on top of you. Second half was better in pressing, I felt, than the first half.

“So overall good result, but I wouldn’t use the word ‘delighted’ myself today.”

He added: “Bologna made it difficult, similar to Atalanta last season they played a man-mark all over the pitch.

“Then you have to wait for the right moment, because if you play through it, then it’s completely open.

“I think it was many times completely open, but then the last pass…could have been better, let’s put it that way.”

Clearly Slot felt Liverpool were lacking in intensity and quality in the first half in particular, and as he expanded the head coach suggested this came in the final third.

“It’s difficult, so if the other team plays man-marking all over the pitch and you play a long ball and you don’t win it, they have the ball again,” he continued.

“I saw sometimes heads go down a bit, ‘ah, again a loss of the ball’.

“Then they waited too long before they started pressing again and then you give the initiative away. So in my opinion that happened a bit too much in the first half.

“Second half we started off pressing much better, and we had more control in my opinion in the second half than we had in the first half.

“With the ball, it’s not easy if they are constantly one-v-one.

“I don’t think our goalkeeper, in the first eight Games, touched the ball as many times as today. But he’s the only player who’s free, because they play man-v-man.

“Then we kept the ball better in the second half than the first.”

The obvious change early in the second half came with Darwin Nunez brought off and Diogo Jota sent on, with Slot pleased with the incoming striker’s involvement in Salah’s goal for 2-0.

Though he was not “delighted” with much that he saw on the pitch, however, the Dutchman did single out Ryan Gravenberch and two others for praise.

“What I was also delighted with – so there are a few things – is if I look at Ibou, Virgil, how they throw themselves in front of the ball, how they do everything to keep a clean sheet,” he said.

“That is I think the mentality we need to keep a clean sheet.”