Slot: “I Certainly Wasn’t Handing Out Compliments at Halftime”
Watching from the stands due to suspension, Arne Slot, head coach of Liverpool, admitted that his vantage point at Anfield for the match against Southampton gave him a very different perspective on the action.
“I definitely didn’t offer the players any compliments at halftime,” joked Slot. “It may have been because I was viewing things from the stands rather than the touchline. I know from experience—though I don’t get suspended often—that when you’re high above the pitch, you start feeling like you could step on and play yourself. When you’re on the sideline, however, the pace of the game seems totally different.”
According to the manager, Liverpool’s energy levels in the first half were “far, far too low,” prompting three substitutions during the break. “It wasn’t just about adding quality,” noted Slot, “but shaking up the team. In nine out of ten cases, when you change three players, the other eight think, ‘Oh, we need to do something different here.’ That was all I could do at that point—create something new for the second half.”
His approach paid off. Despite trailing at halftime, Liverpool scored three goals after the break, sealing a 3–1 triumph over Southampton and further strengthening their position in the Premier League standings.
