Arne Slot admits he feels ‘responsible’ at Liverpool droop and accepts poor type is ‘ridiculous’ forward of Champions League conflict with PSV

Arne Slot has admitted he feels guilty for Liverpool’s descent into freefall and accepts he has a duty to prove himself all over again.

Liverpool’s campaign has imploded in the space of six weeks, with eight defeats in their last 11 matches effectively torpedoing their hopes of retaining their Premier League crown and ending one route to Wembley in the Carabao Cup.

The nadir arrived last Saturday with a 3-0 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest, a result which Cody Gakpo revealed had left the squad “embarrassed”; it led to an impromptu meeting between the players ahead of their Champions League fixture against PSV Eindhoven.

Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool’s captain, called for the dressing to take responsibility for their actions but Slot insisted the buck stopped with him and he is aghast the situation has become so bleak, so quickly for a team who had been touted as having the potential to win everything.

‘For sure I take the responsibility and feel guilty for it,’ said Slot. ‘We’re busy working on it. I’m at a club where we are just used to being successful but there are times when we are not and then we are going to put that extra effort in. As coach I try to lead by example and work harder.

‘It is ridiculous, almost. This something I didn’t expect to be in, not at any club I worked at let alone if you manager of Liverpool. That is unbelievable. If you can find an excuse you will never find enough excuses to make you perform like this.

Arne Slot admitted that Liverpool’s slump in form this season has been ‘ridiculous’

Mo Salah and Co were in training on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League game

‘It is unexpected for the club, for me, for everyone, but we are also working at a club that if you ever needed to face this maybe this is the best club to face it because the harder it gets at a club like this more we are together, the more we are trying to the things Liverpool usually achieves.’ 

There have been rumblings of discontent amongst fans and there was even a suggestion in Germany on Monday night that Liverpool had started to work tentatively on bringing in Julian Nagelsmann in to replace Slot after next summer’s World Cup.

That story is nonsense. Liverpool – who have no appetite to change their head coach – never considered Nagelsmann when they drew up a list of candidates to replace Jurgen Klopp and wouldn’t consider him at any point. Still, Slot understands the demands on him.

‘Every day you have to prove yourself if you are working at a club this level,’ said Slot. 

‘You cannot say “We won the league” or “We did this or this” and now it’s OK. If you work at this level, the next game is always the most important and you have to prove yourself every single time.

‘That is for me, for the players and that is what we like about working in this environment – that you can never rest and you always have to keep going if things but most definitely if things don’t go well. 

‘I don’t know if I have to prove myself to the fans but I have to prove myself to myself and the players.’

It was interesting to hear Gakpo, then, acknowledge how far short they are of the standards they have set. 

Joe Gomez (left) is in the squad for the game but had an injection in his knee last week

It would be easy in this situation for things to fracture but the Netherlands international explained they have taken steps to correct the dreadful form

‘After the game it was a kind of embarrassment because we lost 3-0 front of our own fans, which is not good,’ said Gakpo. ‘We know they are here to help us in tough situations but we have to give them something back as well. Everybody is aware we have to take responsibility on and off the pitch

‘In the days after that I don’t want to say we were angry but we tried to speak together and be honest with each other what we have to do to perform better on the pitch. We also know we have to stick together and that’s what we will try to do again to put in good performances and get wins.’