How Nuno Espirito Santo conjured up a tactical masterclass at Anfield: Liverpool’s shock defeat should not spark mass panic but many may copy Nottingham Forest’s blueprint
Just a fortnight ago, Arne Slot stood in front of the Sky Sports cameras on the Old Trafford touchline and, step by step, candidly outlined how his side tactically dismantled Manchester United. Easy, this Premier League lark, he might have thought.
Liverpool had gone three from three without conceding a goal. Tougher tests lay ahead but he could not have asked for a better start after the significant jump from Feyenoord to the best league in the world.
The following day, Mail Sport – and plenty of other outlets – waxed lyrical about ‘Slotball’ and how the Dutchman was taking English football by storm. Two weeks later, ‘Slotball’ was exposed by Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest.
Just as many warned not to get too excited after just three wins, this defeat must also not prompt reasons to panic or overreact. But the worry is that Nuno has found the blueprint to beat Slot’s side – and many other teams may copy how he did it.
Wasteful finishing, lacklustre defending for Callum Hudson-Odoi’s goal and post-international break tiredness can be cited as excuses that are short-term issues rather than terminal worries. But while Liverpool were poor, Forest were perfect and richly deserved their three points.
Arne Slot was handed a brutal reality check as Liverpool lost their first game of their new manager’s reign
Slot’s side had been pretty much faultless for his first three matches in charge before Saturday’s defeat
The Reds lost against Nottingham Forest as Slot’s system was exposed by his opposite number
So, how did they do it? Nuno congested the middle of the park with five – yes, five – central midfielders: James Ward-Prowse, Nicolas Dominguez, Ryan Yates, Elliott Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White. Even striker Chris Wood dropped deep in a solid defensive shift.
Centre halves Murillo – it would not be a surprise if he gets a big move next summer – and new boy Nicola Milenkovic – were imperious, while fellow summer signing Alex Moreno pocketed Mohamed Salah and Ola Aina was equally impressive in keeping in-form Luis Diaz quiet.
In two sentences, we have name-checked every outfield player – this was a true team performance and every single man deserves mass credit, plus goalkeeper Matz Sels was solid when called upon. You will do well to find a finer tactical team performance this season.
This system meant that Liverpool had no space to work in and often were forced into long shots or wayward crosses that were mopped up with ease. The atmosphere at Anfield was incredibly flat, one could sense the angst and frustration growing by the minute.
As the game ticked towards the hour mark, though, Nuno took a risk and changed tack. It could have easily backfired as Forest ditched their five-man midfield and threw on wingers Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga. In hindsight, let us surmise that Forest smelt blood.
After barely venturing forward in the first hour, they now had pace on the counter-attack. Elanga miscued a shot after a fine move but made amends minutes later by driving his team forward and feeding Hudson-Odoi, who skipped past Conor Bradley with ease to unleash a lovely finish.
Slot admitted this was the first time he had faced a low block on these shores and, clearly, it led to an album of problems for his side. Mohamed Salah threw his arms in the air in frustration as he kept plugging away but could not find a way to break down the Forest defence.
Another concern is how none of Slot’s five substitutions made a positive impact. Darwin Nunez lost the ball for Forest’s goal and Cody Gakpo had zero memorable moments. New signing Federico Chiesa was not even on the bench – could he have made an impact with a cameo?
Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo packed the midfield area before taking a risk late on as he smelt blood
Callum Hudson-Odoi’s strike was enough to earn his side all three points away at Anfield
It is now about how Slot and his side bounce back – one loss should not spark mass panic
But to reiterate an earlier point: one defeat should not spark mass panic, just like three wins were not reason to get too excited. Rome, as they say, was not built in a day – even Pep Guardiola needed a year to get his feet under the table in English football.
Now the quest is to respond and do it quickly. AC Milan, who Liverpool play on Tuesday, are not the formidable force they were when these teams clashed in the 2005 and 2007 European Cup finals – but the San Siro is a cauldron of noise at the worst of times and is never an easy trip.
Two weeks on from when the Slot machine hit the jackpot at Old Trafford – the words of Sky Sports’ Peter Drury not ours before you spit out your cornflakes – the Slot machine has hit its first malfunction. Now the Dutchman must earn his corn to avoid the same mistakes happening.
