How Liverpool failed this fundamental Arne Slot principle vs. Crystal Palace

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Liverpool’s first defeat of the season saw Crystal Palace make the most of the chances they were afforded, but Arne Slot‘s non-negotiable for his side was notably missing. Liverpool fail to win their duels The emphasis on winning duels has not been as public as when Slot first arrived, but it remains a non-negotiable for the Dutchman – and he won’t enjoy FotMob‘s ground duel breakdown in particular.

Salah lost the most duels of any Liverpool player having been unsuccessful in six of the seven he contested, losing five on the ground and one in the air – symbolic of the day he had. Reverting the system led to improvement Slot tried to do something different in the first half but saw his side hand the impetus to the Eagles, who had 10 shots, created four big chances and an xG of 2.07.

The Dutchman’s attempt to overload the midfield was let down by a lack of pressure on the ball, with Liverpool losing the duel count 23-14 (18-6 in ground duels) in the first half. Ultimately, Slot is left to rue his first-half experiment and his side’s inability to live up to one of his fundamental principles across the entire 90 minutes. * FotMob is an essential app for every fan to keep up to date with their team or follow football worldwide, with endless stats and features that offer all you could ever want and never knew you needed!