Arne Slot eased pressure on himself and Liverpool with a 1-0 win over Serie A outfit Inter Milan at the San Siro.
Amid two wins in 10 Premier League matches and the ongoing Mohamed Salah saga, it was imperative that the Reds gave a good account of themselves against last season’s Champions League finalists.
How far will Liverpool go in the Champions League this season? 👀
Highest chances of winning the Champions League this season
- Arsenal: 21.74%
- Bayern Munich: 17.95%
- PSG: 13.24%
- Manchester City: 10.07%
- FC Barcelona: 6.85%
- Real Madrid: 5.04%
- Liverpool: 5.03%
Via Opta
Curtis Jones was a standout performer on the night, while Hugo Ekitike continues to earn plaudits.
The tie was decided by a controversial penalty, but it was still a much-improved display from Liverpool, and Arne Slot has shared his thoughts on the clash.
How Liverpool press changed vs Inter Milan
For the second game in a row, the Dutchman played Jones and Ryan Gravenberch in a midfield pivot.
We saw glimpses of the solidity they can bring to the team in the Leeds United draw last week, though their hard work was undone by an Ibrahima Konate challenge in that clash.
Liverpool were much more solid across the entire 90 minutes on Tuesday, however, and Slot has since detailed how he made changes to the Reds’ press during the match.
Speaking to Amazon shortly after the full-time whistle, he said: “Second half I think we pressed a bit higher and more aggressive than we did in the first half, that had also to do with the changes they’ve made.
“So in the first half we decided to keep a plus-one in the back, but in the first half they made a few changes, so didn’t feel right in the second half to still do this because I can see [Inter] went a few times all the way into the midfield.
“So we pressed them higher but when we were outplayed, all 11 players came behind the ball.”
Who was your Man of the Match during Liverpool’s brilliant 1-0 win over Inter Milan?
FSG’s Arne Slot stance justified so far
In an ideal world, Slot would be able to field largely the same eleven when his team take on Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.
The midfield pairing of Jones and Gravenberch is working wonders, and their defence, with a bit of help from Alisson, was able to keep a rare and welcome clean sheet.
Liverpool securing another three points this weekend would be huge for their confidence and prove that FSG’s stance on backing Slot despite recent struggles and the Salah issues is justified.
Things could quickly change if results in the Premier League don’t improve, but the performance on Tuesday showed that there is still a top manager in there; it’s just been a difficult season for a variety of reasons.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
