Arne Slott has said he will take Steven Gerrard’s advice to stop talking about Liverpool facing a low block, but the Reds boss is expecting a different challenge at Bournemouth on Saturday anyway.
Former Liverpool captain Gerrard described Slott’s tactics as “on point” after the 3-0 Champions League win at Marseille in midweek. But he went on to criticize the head coach for repeatedly mentioning how his team has frustrated Liverpool with their defensive depth this season.
“He needs to stop mentioning the low block,” Gerrard told TNT Sports. “Ever since I was playing, there was a low block against Liverpool. That’s exactly what happened.”
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Saturday Night Football’s trip to Bournemouth, Slott said: “I’ve never heard him say that exactly, but Steven Gerrard has always been very positive about Liverpool Football Club and still is. He cares a lot about it.”
“What I agree with him about is that I talk a lot about low blocks, because we face a lot of low blocks! And when people ask me after the game for my opinion on the game, I have to explain something.
“He also said that he played against them during his playing days. He was also one of those players who could break low blocks because of his quality.”
Saturday, January 24th 5pm
5:30pm kickoff
“A lot has been said about this and maybe we should find other words or just not talk about it anymore. People already know. And maybe we won’t have to face this anymore because Bournemouth are always a very intense team to play against and they will be that way again (on Saturday).”
Liverpool drew 1-1 at home to Burnley last weekend. Scott Parker’s side, second from bottom in possession, won the final three this season and sat deep and compact, frustrating the hosts at Anfield.
It’s a familiar problem for Liverpool, who were top scorers in the Premier League last season but struggled for goals during their title defense.
According to data from GeniusIQ, the average defensive line Liverpool faced this season was 31.76 meters from the opponent’s goal. Only Arsenal have faced a deeper defense this season.
Another test at Bournemouth
By contrast, Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth prefer to defend on the front foot and are second to Man City and Brighton in terms of possession won in the final third. So the slots may indeed not need to see the lower blocks this weekend.
Commenting on the challenges his team expects to face on the south coast, Slott said: “Bournemouth are one of the most competitive teams in the league. Every running stat they’re at the top or in the top two, three or four.”
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Clinton Morrison analyzed Liverpool’s overwhelming 3-0 victory away against Marseille in the Champions League.
“You know you have to be intense and that’s a lot to ask of yourself, because out of all the teams playing in Europe, apart from the one playing on Thursday, we’re the only team that has had two days of rest. It’s not the first time this season, but it’s not the first time this season that we’ve proven we can do that.”
Federico Chiesa is 50-50 in this match. The forward missed midweek’s Champions League win at Marseille and Slott said he would be assessed after training on Friday. “We don’t expect him to be out for an extended period of time,” the Reds head coach said.
Slott said there were no new injury concerns since midweek. Calvin Ramsey, who is not in Liverpool’s Champions League squad, is available, but Ibrahima Konate could miss the game at Bournemouth following the death of his father.
