Arne Slot reflects on Liverpool’s goalless draw with Arsenal and says it is proof his team can match the division’s best sides
Arne Slot says the goalless draw with Arsenal is proof that his Liverpool team are able to match the Premier League’s best sides. But the head coach insists his squad still have big improvements to make as they stretched their unbeaten run to 10 games in all competitions.
Liverpool failed to register a shot on target against the league leaders but clipped the bar in the first half when Conor Bradley, who was taken off in stoppage time with what is feared to be a serious injury, chipped goalkeeper David Raya after a mix-up with defender William Saliba.
It’s the first time the Reds haven’t had a shot on target in the Premier League since 2010 but the point was generally seen as a positive one given the lack of attacking resources available to Slot, who was unable to field Alexander Isak, Mohamed Salah or 11-goal top scorer Hugo Ekitike.
“I think there are other things to talk about where both teams are at the moment than the (respective strength of the) substitutes’ bench,” Slot said. “I think we showed today – and not for the first time – in the big games that we are able to compete with any other big team.
“And we have had a result with almost any other big team, except for Manchester City, when it was so obvious we scored the 1-1, but the only ones who didn’t think that were the referee and VAR. That is the only game we lost 3-0.
“We have shown home and away against Arsenal we can compete with any other team. Then there is the question why we are 14 points behind them and that is because we struggle against low blocks to unlock that and there is 20 goals difference between us at set pieces.
“But in both games we have shown now that we are very competitive against each other. We won it at Anfield because of a free-kick at Anfield. And today, there was no moment like that, so it was 0-0.”
Slot added: “The way we pressed their two centre-backs and their No.6 (Martin Zubimendi) was better in the second half, so we could recover ball possession faster and they couldn’t come as close to our box.
“But maybe the main thing was we had the ball for long spells and when they kicked it away we picked it up and played again. But credit to Arsenal, the way they defended their box.
“We had five six seven from Dominik Szoboszlai, and he has a good shot. They are good in so many things including box defending. They are good in so many things it is so hard to get a result against them.
“I am a bit surprised people think we have a good performance because when we have 60 or 70% ball possession against other teams, people find it boring. Now it is a good performance and we hardly created a chance.
“This is who we are but we struggle, obviously, in some things. Set-pieces is one of them. We did really well in ball possession. But for me it is not that different from playing Leeds at home or Fulham away when we dominate the ball, but then people are annoyed by the fact these teams are not the magnitude of Arsenal so then it is not good enough, which I totally agree with by the way, because I want to see us creating more chances as well.”
