Arne Slot, Liverpool's manager, spoke candidly after leading the team to a draw against Leeds United in the latest Premier League match.
Arne Slot, Liverpool's manager, said the team could not penetrate the opponent's solid defense and also missed a penalty opportunity, resulting in a 0-0 draw against Leeds United at Anfield in the English Premier League last night.
Slot said, "You want to start the year with a win, but it's difficult. I think there were many times we couldn't break through their solid defense, and when we did, we didn't have enough players in front of goal, and sometimes we were unlucky."
"If you watch football, you'll see there are two ways to break down a deep-lying defense: you either use speed to penetrate or set pieces. We nearly scored from a set piece when Van Dijk headed over the bar, and we had several near chances from Jeremy Frimpong's one-on-one runs."
When asked if his team should have been awarded a penalty when Hugo Ekitike appeared fouled in the first half, Slot replied, "I don't think so because he didn't fall. If he had fallen, that might have been a penalty. But I understand why he didn't because this season we've had several fouls inside the penalty area without getting a penalty."
"Maybe because of that, our players thought, 'Okay, let's try to keep playing through it,' since this season we've missed several penalty calls, like in the away game at Brentford when Cody Gakpo was fouled but the referee allowed play to continue."
"And when you don't get the results you want, it makes me more frustrated. It's not the reason we didn't win—make that clear—but it is a reason why sometimes I feel a bit frustrated on the sidelines."
As a result of the draw, Liverpool remains with 33 points, holding fourth place in the league table.