Arne Slot admitted Liverpool’s first-half efficiency in opposition to Southampton was a “warning sign” as he needed to “create anger” within the dressing room on the break.
Trailing to Will Smallbone’s added-time aim after a misunderstanding between Virgil van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Slot – who was watching from the Most important Stand as he was serving the final sport of his touchline suspension – moved shortly to rectify the scenario.
Having issued his gamers with an order to extend the tempo, he made a triple substitution with Harvey Elliott, Andy Robertson and Alexis Mac Allister approaching and instantly altering the dynamic.
Throughout the area of 5 minutes, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah, with the primary of two penalties, had turned issues round because the Premier League leaders stretched their benefit on the high to 16 factors forward of their Champions League second-leg conflict with PSG on Tuesday at Anfield.
Slot advised Sky Sports activities: “It was a really poor efficiency within the first half. Perhaps for those who see the highlights you’d really feel there have been three or 4 probabilities, however we weren’t within the sport in any respect and it did not come to a shock to me that we conceded a aim. Particularly for those who take a look at the best way we conceded it, it tells you all about our first half.
“We discovered a approach to win the sport within the second half.
“Within the media, in my conferences, I made clear to them how tough of a sport this was and that we now have to play on totally different depth ranges than we have performed in opposition to Paris Saint-Germain. Perhaps additionally to get used to that stage of depth that we’ll expertise Tuesday once more. However ultimately I needed to make some laborious selections, possibly at half-time, to create a sure anger with the gamers.
“That triple substitution at the start of the second half seemed to reignite the team. The three that came in did really well. That’s the first thing, but I could see from the other eight a different attitude as well.
“So for those who take a look at the primary aim, we performed the ball to Diaz and impulsively he was on tempo attempting to create one thing, the place within the first half he saved the ball ready, ready, ready and that was not just for him, however on the whole.
“And in the second goal you could see Ryan Gravenberch pushing up, winning the second ball which led to the penalty, where in the first half they could every time escape after we crossed the ball.
“I am absolutely conscious of the truth that for those who play a season, you can’t play 38 instances within the highest depth or the very best soccer you possibly can play. So typically you must discover one other manner of successful a sport.
“But the first half today is hopefully a warning sign because like I said, we’ve experienced it already in Paris, that the intensity, the way they play, was very high for us on that night. And if I compare it with the intensity we played today, it’s not one, two, three, four, five steps, it’s probably six or seven or eight steps down towards the intensity levels of Paris Saint-Germain.”
