Liverpool boss Arne Slot has praised his side’s defensive discipline following back-to-back friendly wins over Athletic Club at Anfield on Monday, but admitted there's still a major issue that needs fixing ahead of their Community Shield clash with Crystal Palace. The Reds secured a 4-1 win with a largely rotated squad in the first game against Athletic Club and followed that up with a 3-2 victory in the second, where a more senior line-up was deployed.
Slot happy with display vs Athletic ClubBut set-piece vulnerability still a major concernDutch manager wants more efficiency before Palace testFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Throughout pre-season, Slot has openly acknowledged that his team has struggled at the back, particularly in open play. However, the Dutchman was encouraged by what he saw across the 180 minutes against Bilbao, describing the overall defensive performance as “pleasing,” especially given the limited availability of natural centre-backs.
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However, Slot is concerned about Liverpool's vulnerability during dead-ball situations. Bilbao managed to breach the Reds’ defence twice through set plays – the first, a clever free-kick routine converted by Oihan Sancet; the second, an own goal from Cody Gakpo, who deflected a corner into his own net.
WHAT SLOT SAID
Slot noted the Eagles' physical threat and proficiency from set-pieces, identifying it as a specific area of concern heading into the season opener.
"The other games in preseason, we have conceded a few too many chances, but today we hardly conceded anything at all, and that pleased me as well," Slot told reporters. "So to concede two set-piece goals in the second game is not what you want, especially if you play Crystal Palace next week, who are a team that are very strong on set pieces. That's another thing to work on. We've worked on that already but will work on that even more in the upcoming week."
DID YOU KNOW?
Despite the defensive blemishes, Slot was largely satisfied with how his team performed against Athletic Club. The Reds scored seven goals across both friendlies, showcasing sharpness and creativity in the final third.
“Players are fit, worked really hard, played some good football, defended really strong and good – apart from the two set-pieces,” the manager said.
"I think in both games we created a lot of chances, scored seven goals – four in the first, three in the second – so that's very pleasing to see because we definitely didn't score every chance we had. Especially in the second game in the first half, I think we could have scored a few more goals than we did. So that pleased me most, the ability to create the chances and even to score seven goals over two games is also good.”
