Arne Slot ignores Gary Neville advice as Liverpool boss sticks to his guns

8 hours ago 22

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has chosen a similar team to the one that was beaten 3-0 by Nottingham Forest at the weekend as his side takes on PSV in the Champions League.

Several pundits including Gary Neville insisted that Slot needed to change something with his side in a dire run of form at the moment. However, only one change through choice has been made: Hugo Ekitike for Alexander Isak.

Alisson Becker misses out, which means Giorgi Mamardashvili comes in, but the rest of the team is the same as the one that started at the weekend. It could be either Curtis Jones or Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back with Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong injured.

"What is unusual is the severity and immediacy of the drop, and the worrying signs that are appearing," Neville, who has also rubbished suggestions that Slot could be fired, said on his Sky Sports podcast.

"A blip is losing one or two games; when you start losing three and four you have to do something.

"You can't lose six games in seven if you are Liverpool Football Club. It's unacceptable. The manager has to change the style or the system and help them. It means being more solid, personnel changes.

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"[Milos] Kerkez is struggling, [Ibrahima] Konate is struggling. I called on it a few weeks ago; I said maybe Joe Gomez should play right-back, Andy Robertson at left-back and play as a narrow back four.

"Then in midfield, you put a narrow four in there. That could be Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Gravenberch and Wirtz or Gakpo tucked in a bit more narrow and you might leave Salah off Ekitike or Isak or play Ekitike and Isak. Leave them up there, work as a two and do something a bit different.

"Be a bit more pragmatic. Something has to change in the collective.

"From an individual perspective, you have to strip it right back to the foundations, whether that's sleep, stretching, eating, the tiny details. Do everything better."

Joe Gomez has not trained fully lately and Slot hinted that he was unable to start in his press conference on Tuesday. He could come into the starting XI at the weekend when the Reds take on West Ham United.

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