Liverpool have regularly come out of halftime breaks with a new impetus and Trent Alexander-Arnold has explained why Arne Slot‘s methods are effective.
Under Slot, the Reds have proven to be a more assured side in the second half of games, scoring 34 of their 54 goals this season after the interval.
It is evident that the Liverpool boss makes tactical tweaks and sends a clear message at the break, with his choice of substitutions also having proven game-changing.
In a chat with Men In Blazers, Alexander-Arnold has explained what Slot is like in the dressing room during the half-time break and the effectiveness of his messages.
“His personality is very chilled,” Liverpool’s vice-captain said of his head coach. “The best way to describe it is that things are black and white.
“They are what they are. There’s not too much emotion that goes into things.
“At halftime, he’ll come in and tell us exactly, very clearly, how the opposition are playing, how they’re pressing us and the adjustments we need to make.
“Then it’s kind of ‘just do that and we will win’. That’s literally the message, ‘If we do this in the second half we are going to win the game because this is how we break them down’.”
Slot and his coaches have an incredible eye for detail and are readily making tweaks during games, which is lending itself to an impressive start to the season with 20 wins from 24 games.
Speaking on the subject of second-half performances after the win at Girona, Slot conversely suggested it is his side’s intensity rather than just his message that is the difference.
“It could also be, in a normal game that the tempo is so high, that especially in the second half, the team we face has some problems with that intensity,” he said.
“I don’t exactly know what it is, but it might be a bit of us preparing the team even better in the second half than the first half, but also how fit our players are to score in the second half.”
“We believe so much in the game plan”
Speaking further on Slot and what is different this season, Alexander-Arnold said: “I think we’re so assured that we’re going to get results in games, I think because we believe so much in the game plan.
“I think it’s always important, especially under a new manager, to have a relationship that works both ways – which is what we’ve got.
“He needs to believe in us that we’re good enough to carry out the game plan and go get the results, and understand and apply what he tells us to do.
“Likewise as players, we need to see that the style of play and tactics are working and will get us results. I think from the first few games we really got that.
“From then on, when you’ve got the belief flowing both ways it’s always going to be a good journey.”
