What Arne Slot said about Man United was right - sore Liverpool loser tag is wrong
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In the latest Blood Red column, Ian Doyle looks at the curious fallout from Liverpool's defeat to Manchester United and why some people are getting it wrong about Arne SlotIan Doyle has covered Liverpool for more than 20 years, following them across Europe in multiple Champions League and Europa League finals and as far afield as Thailand, Singapore, the United States, Hong Kong and Qatar, and has reported on the Reds winning every major honour. What is viewed as an encouraging positive by some may be interpreted as a blistering negative by others.Arne Slot discovered that for himself this week during the immediate fall-out of Liverpool's dismal Premier League defeat at home to Manchester United last Sunday.In assessing the game, Slot pointed out his team struggled to find a way through a United side who started without a recognised striker, sat back with an organised defence and were more than happy to play the ball long.READ MORE: Arne Slot addresses Mohamed Salah Liverpool upset at being dropped - 'I hope he is not'READ MORE: Arne Slot responds to Virgil van Dijk unplanned Liverpool team meeting - 'None of them should'For most who watched, it was a fair enough assessment and a further example of how best to negate the Premier League champions.But for some it was seen as one of the most grievous comments ever uttered against the Old Trafford outfit, with Slot facing accusations of being a sore loser after a fourth successive defeat in all competitions.The statistics, though, side with the Liverpool boss.
In the Premier League this season, they have the most long pass attempts of any side.And United are merely following the trend of the top flight, with the highest record number of long balls and long throws at this stage of a Premier League season since such records began 22 years ago.Slot was somewhat bemused discussing the matter on Friday ahead of the Premier League trip to Brentford this evening."What I meant after the game was more of a compliment for the other manager that he found the right answer to our playing style," said the Liverpool boss. Indeed, even as far back as when Liverpool beat United 3-0 at Old Trafford three games into last season, Slot was happy to point out post-match where and how his team had been able to profit.And having only hinted at the matter in recent weeks, the Dutchman has publicly declared his team's failings this season have largely been due to opponents shifting to a more direct game while maintaining a low block."It's quite obvious they are all doing it for a long time now but I wasn't 100% sure every manager we are about to face in the coming weeks knows this," said Slot.
"But at a certain moment it's so clear, everybody does it."Manchester City have experienced this for so many years and they are very good playing in tight spaces which is something we need to do better."Don't forget, it was an unexpected tactical change that helped Liverpool storm out of the blocks last season in a manner that ultimately proved decisive in the Premier League title race. And with so many summer signings still adapting, expect a few more alterations before a consistent winning formula is found.With Brentford having moved to a five-man defence for the visits of Chelsea and City this season, Liverpool will be braced for another long-ball examination while trying to prise open a massed rearguard action.And whether it's Slot of Brentford counterpart Keith Andrews, there's no such thing as bad tactics if you win.