A “sense of deja vu” and Szoboszlai out vs. Milan? – Liverpool 0-1 Nottingham Forest

Liverpool supporters were disappointed after the first defeat of the season, 1-0 to Nottingham Forest, with two fans dissecting what went wrong.

It was a sloppy performance by the Reds following their return from the international break.

Arne Slot‘s side struggled to break down a resolute Forest defence who lined up in a low block to frustrate Liverpool all afternoon, before Callum Hudson-Odoi struck a wonder goal to steal all three points from Anfield.

After Liverpool’s defeat, Ben Bocsak (@BenBocsak) and Jack Lusby (@LusbyJack) discussed a forgettable afternoon and what must now come next against AC Milan.

 

The good…

BEN: It’s really difficult to come up with anything positive from the game. After the bright start Liverpool made to the season this was anything but.

Liverpool looked a shadow of themselves from the opening three matches of the campaign.

Some of the decision-making in the final third was really poor in particular with even the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah far from their best.

The only positive can be the fact that it can only get better from here.

Forest will not be the only side to set up at Anfield in the same way this season and Slot can use this game as a learning curve in order to do better next time.

An early slap in the face is perhaps not necessarily as negative as some might think. If Liverpool can use this to improve then the result may turn out to be a silver lining when we are looking back on it at the end of the season.

JACK: As Bence says, there wasn’t a lot to phone home about from this game.

That said, I think both of our Dutch starters played well. Van Dijk was particularly dominant in the air and there were more positive signs from Gravenberch in midfield.

I’d say the main plus-point is there’s another game so soon after; there’s not much time for us – or the players – to dwell on this result with the Champions League up next.

 

The bad…

BEN: One of the most frustrating things in the game was the fact that you had a sense of deja vu from last season.

Jurgen Klopp‘s Reds encountered so many of the same problems against teams like Forest, but with Slot so far we had the sense that things could be different.

The result on Saturday proved that wrong.

The Dutchman still very much has the same issues to solve as Klopp and that is bitterly disappointing.

We as fans wanted an evolution of Klopp’s style of play when Slot was appointed. In the first three games we have definitely seen that but it seems as though the same underlying problems remain.

JACK: I’d just like to bring up the flat atmosphere as one of the negatives not only of this game, but in many games at Anfield of late.

It was bizarrely quiet on Arne Slot‘s first Premier League game at home against Brentford and arguably worse this time around.

I don’t know whether this is due to changes in infrastructure and the increased focus on hospitality packages with the expansion of the Annie Road end, but there’s clearly something wrong.

Of course, it’s all well and good criticising from this position – but this seems to be a feeling shared by many of those in the stands on Saturday too.

 

What’s next vs. AC Milan…

BEN: I would like to see more changes made by Slot against AC Milan. A lot of Liverpool’s players featured heavily on international duty and they need a rest.

On the other hand, players like Wataru Endo, Darwin Nunez or Federico Chiesa are probably raring to go and I feel as though they should be given an opportunity at the San Siro.

With games coming up thick and fast now, rotation is going to be key for Slot. He’s got enough depth in most areas of the pitch to be able to rotate as well.

So he cannot afford to make the same mistake on Tuesday as he did this weekend. He’s got to make some changes.

JACK: As I said earlier, it can be seen as a positive that we have such a quick turnaround this time.

I was expecting more rotation on Saturday with a view to Slot going full strength against Milan – particularly as finishing in the top eight of this revamped Champions League is so crucial.

That makes it hard to predict what will happen on Tuesday night, but I can’t see the same side lining up at the San Siro.

Mac Allister, Diaz and Jota were all brought off on the hour, and though that will have been partly due to load management it seems likely they’ll keep their places vs. Milan, while Alisson, Van Dijk, Gravenberch and Salah are unlikely to be changed either.

But a stronger case could be made for the full-back positions and that of Slot’s No. 10 – Szoboszlai was so off the pace on Saturday that I’d bring Curtis Jones in and push Mac Allister further forward.