Liverpool manager Arne Slot decided to make a triple sub at half time with the Reds 1-0 down to bottom club Southampton and he got it spot on.
They won 3-1 thanks to Darwin Nunez and two penalty kicks from Mohamed Salah, as they’re now 15 points ahead of second-place Arsenal as the Gunners have a game in-hand but Liverpool look likely to wrap up the Premier League title by the end of April.
MORE — Preview, prediction, team news for Liverpool vs PSG
Slot was sat in the stands against Saints due to his suspension for a recent red card at Everton, but he was pleased with his side rallying to victory in the second half ahead of their crucial UEFA Champions League last 16 second leg at home against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday. Although he wasn’t delighted with the first half performance.
Here’s what Slot had to say following the win against Southampton at Anfield on Saturday, and as he looked ahead to the game against PSG on Tuesday.
Arne Slot reaction to Liverpool win vs Southampton, focus on PSG
“It’s a sign of a good team, that you can win in different ways,” Slot to the BBC after the game. “In Paris I had to change maybe because of tactics. Now I had to change because of work rate. I don’t think that happened a lot this season. So it was a poor performance first half. Not only in the way we played but definitely also in the energy we brought.”
“For us we play this weekend and then against Paris Saint-Germain again and we must not take one step up but maybe two, three, four or five steps up to come to the intensity level that we experienced during the week when we played Paris Saint-Germain.”
“The only good thing is for the first 45 minutes I don’t think they ran at all. I exaggerate a bit but they saved their energy. For me that is not a good thing because I believe that it is better to go all-in and to create habits what I always talk about. But I also know that these players are capable of doing much, much, much better when it comes to performance and definitely when it comes to work rate. That is also what I expect this week.”
On Darwin Nunez: “It was definitely difficult for him after he missed the big chance against Aston Villa. But he was already important in the week when he provided the assist for Harvey Elliott. Both of them were important for today. You could see after the first few minutes after half time the energy was different. Lucho [Luis Diaz] took on a one-v-one and that created the goal for Darwin. The second goal, in the lead up to that, you saw Ryan Gravenberch pushing up to win the second ball and not be 20 or 25 yards away from the situation. The energy was completely different. Everybody knows how many quality players we have but if you don’t play with the right energy, everywhere around the world is going to be difficult but especially in the Premier League, let alone against Paris Saint-Germain. Because that is the most intense team we’ve faced so far.”
On making the key subs: “That is the million dollar question. Was it because I was sitting so high? I know from experience because it is not the first time I’m sitting there as a manager, because I’ve watched many games in the stands. Then the tempo is different. That is the only thing I can come up with. That is wasn’t as worse as I thought it was but the difference was the position I sat in. To be fair I’m afraid the first half wasn’t of the energy levels I’m used to with these players.”
On title hopes: “It’s a long way. If I’m correct Arsenal play three games before we play the next one. Now it’s 16 but it can be seven when we face Everton in a few weeks.”
Mohamed Salah reaction to win
The Egyptian superstar was asked what the half time message was in the dressing room: “The manager [Arne Slot] was gone, his head was going for us. It is something you need sometimes because first half the game was sloppy and we were slow and taking our time. We now have more experience and we can manage that situations.”
Is this the performance of champions?: “I don’t think we played good today. Second half maybe we played a bit better but first half we didn’t play well at all. If you’re going to win the Champions League or Premier League you have to win those kind of games.”
On becoming fifth highest scorer in Premier League history: “I knew about the record but I didn’t think about it while I was playing. It’s a good record to be equalizing Sergio. He’s a great player and was a legend here for the league. I am happy about that and the win as well.”
On Darwin Nunez: “Very important player for us. I’m always there talking to him because his head sometimes is gone. He is very important. We need him and you see him in the last game against PSG he was very important when he came in, making a difference.”
