We were lucky to reach the interval level.
Forest had twelve shots in the first half and forced us deep for a long time, and Slot didn’t try to dress it up afterwards (via liverpoolfc.com): “It was the worst first half we have played…
“Forest were the better team and forced us to go back, but we defended very well in our box.”
That defensive resilience, rather than control, was the only reason the match remained 0-0.
Slot’s message during halftime: first energy, then tactics
The main point of Slot’s locker room talk was simple: the game could change if our intensity changed: “If we could bring that mentality back to the whole field…
“And maybe not losing every ball you touch, because that’s almost what happened, then you know these players can do better.”
The 46-year-old didn’t focus on formations or systems first.
Instead, he tried to provoke a psychological response: “I tried to give them some energy by saying, ‘They played on Thursday… we certainly can’t run out of energy yet, so maybe that can even the game out.'”
He even referenced an earlier comeback performance to reinforce the belief: “I also pointed out our second half against Manchester City. We can play a much better second half.”
The players themselves actually confirmed the same shift afterwards.
“The first half wasn’t good at all; positioning, pressing, intensity. It wasn’t our standard. The second half… was better.” said Alexis MacAllister.
The figures show that this is a seasonal pattern
The Forest match actually fits into a broader trend and doesn’t stand out as an anomaly.
According to analysis by Michael Reid (Substack):
| Scenario | Liverpool League Rankings |
|---|---|
| First halves only | 12th |
| Second halves only | 4th |
We also score ours third fewest first-half goals per match in a league season in our history.
The problem that Slot raised during the break therefore comes up again and again.
Liverpool struggled to hold onto the ball, Florian Wirtz’s injury in the warm-up forced Curtis Jones into the side, and Dominik Szoboszlai was substituted at right-back for long stretches, leaving us disjointed and out of control.
Even the post-match criticism reflected that slow start.
“There’s no doubt that Arne Slot is a big part of the problem in this first half,” Steve Nicol argued about ESPN FC and pointed to the flat first 45 minutes.
Why the team conversation mattered
Slot’s changes didn’t suddenly bring dominant performance, but something more important: stability.
We immediately stopped losing the ball, went higher and gradually the momentum turned, helped by Rio Ngumoha’s late introduction and eventually Alexis Mac Allister’s winner in the 97th minute.
The second half was not good football, but controlled football.
And that, judging by Slot’s own words, was exactly the purpose of his intervention during the break.
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