Liverpool Boss Credits Second-Half Surge to Improved Duel Success
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has downplayed concerns about his team’s midfield performance following their 2-0 win over Ipswich Town at Portman Road on the Premier League’s opening day.
Ipswich posed some challenges in the first half, but Liverpool’s quality shone through after the break, with goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah securing the win. Slot acknowledged that the 2-0 scoreline may have flattered Ipswich, given Liverpool’s improved performance in the second half.
Despite ongoing efforts to sign a new holding midfielder—most notably Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi—Slot dismissed the notion that Liverpool’s first-half issues were due to midfield struggles. Instead, he pointed to a lack of success in duels as the primary issue.
“If a team plays all over the pitch 1v1, you can’t always play the ball short,” Slot told TNT Sports. “We lost almost every long ball in the first half. In the second half, we were ready, and you could see we can play quite good football. I don’t think our problem was midfield; our problem was losing too many duels.”
Salah, who assisted Jota’s opener and scored the second goal, was Liverpool’s standout player. Slot praised the Egyptian forward but emphasized the importance of the team’s collective effort.
“I believe in the team more than the individual,” Slot said. “Mo [Salah] can score his goals because of good runs and good assists. We have more creative individuals who can decide the game. Premier League games are tough, so you need good individual performances to win.”
Salah expressed satisfaction with his season-opening goal and recognized Ipswich’s resilience. “It was quite tough today; the weather was really warm. It’s a tough team, and I’m glad we won. I’m always happy to make a difference,” Salah told reporters.
Commenting on the changes under Slot, Salah acknowledged the adjustments needed following the departure of long-time manager Jurgen Klopp. “It’s quite different for all of us; we need to adapt. We just need to know [Slot’s] way of playing and enjoy the football. We don’t need to put more pressure on him; we just need to play football and enjoy our games,” Salah said.
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