Advancing to the Champions League round of 16 with a game to spare could have earned Arne Slot a pat on the back.
But the Liverpool manager's father had a different reaction to the 2-1 victory over Lille.
Boring!
Slot mentioned his father's wish for more dynamic play as the Premier League leaders prepare to host relegation-threatened Ipswich on Saturday.
Breaking down a defensive-minded opponent requires patience, though.
“That is difficult for fans. My father is a fan as well,” Slot said Friday at a press conference. "When I called him after the (Lille) game, he can also say ‘it wasn't as exciting as other games of Liverpool.'
“Then I have to try to explain to him that these games, you can easily lose if you are starting to force all kinds of difficult balls. But he’s not always agreeing with me.”
Slot noted how Bayern Munich dominated possession, attempts at goal and other stats but still lost 3-0 to Feyenoord — Slot's old team — in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Against Lille, midfielder Curtis Jones played a risky ball near the halfway line, Slot noted, and it turned into a scoring opportunity for the French team after it recovered the ball and counterattacked.
“So that’s the risk you have if you play against a low-block team,” he said. “(Nottingham) Forest is probably the best in the league if you play these stupid balls — which I call stupid balls which my father would love to see us playing a bit more — that is the risk of them creating many more chances.”
Ipswich was routed 6-0 by Manchester City last weekend. Kieran McKenna's team heads to Anfield in 18th place, behind Wolverhampton only on goal difference.
Liverpool is past the halfway point of what's turning into a dream first season under Slot, a Dutchman who replaced the charismatic Jurgen Klopp.
The Reds lead both the Premier League and Champions League, and they are alive in the FA Cup and League Cup.
But fans be warned, don't expect a scoring frenzy Saturday.
“It’s a balance we have to find. I can understand that it’s sometimes difficult for fans as well that come to the stadium to see us winning but hopefully us scoring a lot of goals and an exciting match,” Slot said.
“But you need two teams for that, and the better we do the less likely it is that teams come to Anfield and say ‘OK let’s go to a high press and press them all over the place.’”
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Ken Maguire, The Associated Press
