Arne Slot admits to making his first MISTAKE as Liverpool boss

Liverpool continued their Premier League title charge with a 3-1 win over Southampton on Saturday, but it was not a routine performance.

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The Saints are rock-bottom of the league table and were eight points adrift of 19th place Leicester City going into the clash at Anfield.

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Despite the 58-point gap between the two sides, it was Southampton who took the lead and the Reds’ first-half performance clearly showed a side that was struggling.

Arne Slot made three changes at the break though, and Liverpool were able to comeback and secure three points.

Liverpool’s new boss, who hasn’t put a foot wrong since his arrival in the summer, admitted after the match that he had finally made his first mistake in Merseyside.

Starting Szoboszlai was a ‘mistake’

One of the players hooked at half time in Saturday’s game was Dominik Szoboszlai, who was replaced by Alexis Mac Allister.

The Hungarian has been almost ever-present in Slot’s starting XI this campaign, but the head coach has admitted that starting his no. 8 this time out could have been a mistake.

“It was maybe the first time this season that I saw a different energy from [Szoboszlai], which is maybe normal,” Slot told reporters. “Maybe I made a mistake by playing him because he gives so much every game. He’s [now] more rested for the upcoming week.”

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Before Saturday’s match Szoboszlai had played the full 90 minutes in eight of Liverpool’s last nine matches in all competitions. The only match in which he didn’t play for the duration was the FA Cup fourth round tie against Plymouth, for which he wasn’t even in the squad.

The 24-year-old is known for his work rate and, after playing almost 900 minutes in just 35 days, it is understandable that fatigue could be setting in for the former RB Leipzig man.

Szoboszlai’s progression under Slot

Although he was a regular first-team player under Jurgen Klopp, Szoboszlai’s role in the team has increased under Liverpool’s new management.

Already this season the Hungarian has played 2,692 minutes – just 12 minutes shy of last season’s total – and it’s expected that he will build on that tally in the closing months of the campaign.

Slot’s very first official game in charge of the Reds saw him hook Jarell Quansah, who has only featured sporadically since, after 45 minutes but the half-time substitution of Szoboszlai felt very different.

Although it was a tactical change to try and get Liverpool back into the game, it also gave Szoboszlai the chance to rest ahead of a huge Champions League second-leg against PSG on Tuesday.

Slot may have made a mistake starting Szoboszlai on Saturday, but it wouldn’t be a mistake to assume that the 24-year-old will be straight back into the starting XI when PSG come to Anfield midweek, and an extra 45 minutes of rest will see the Hungarian ready for another hard-working performance.

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