3 changes Arne Slot needs to make after Liverpool’s loss to Nottingham Forest

After a great start to the Premier League season, Arne Slot’s Liverpool were unfazed at Anfield against Nottingham Forest this past weekend.

For the first time in 55 years, Forest came to Liverpool and found a way to win – frustrating the Reds’ attack and Callum Hudson-Odoi scored the winning goal in the second half.

So, what did we learn from the game? And what changes Slot needs to make before the clash with AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League in midweek.

We have already looked.

Andy Robertson has played a lot of high-quality, hot football over the last eight years, so it’s no surprise to anyone that he’s starting to look a little stocky when running up and down the left-hand side.

Scotland’s captain, after a busy week of international football, looked a bit sad and different against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, and could not run back to finish off a quick attack.

To give the starting left-back a much-needed rest, Kostas Tsimikas should be included in the Champions League clash with AC Milan in midweek.

As he has proven time and time again, he has the ability to carry the load when Robertson is tired or injured. It’s time for Slot to give him a start.

After a good outing against Manchester United, Liverpool’s trio of Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz were completely absent on Saturday against Forest.

Salah and Jota in particular struggled to finish even simple passes, managing to find teammates on 35 of their 53 combined attempts.

The latter also missed the only real opportunity that Liverpool had been able to create throughout the game – they changed their lines at the back when Alexis Mac Allister’s cross was received.

With that play in mind, and the likes of Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez on the bench, now seems like the perfect time for Slot to finally rotate the front three.

Having already played for Euro 2024, Gakpo is perhaps more deserving of a chance in Liverpool’s squad. The Netherlands international can play anywhere in the front three and will be happy to contribute after starting the season as a bench warmer.

Having stayed deep, pressed, and won the game in attack, Forest may have provided other teams with a template for how to get the best of Slott’s Liverpool this season.

The Reds’ slow build-up play, has a way of making it meaningless against Forest’s low block, and this should be a wake-up call for Slott against ‘lesser’ opposition.

If Slot’s Liverpool are going to chase teams down in the same way Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have, they will need to move the ball quickly in the final third, relying on quick changes of play to tire the defence.

READ THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS, PASS ON LATEST NEWS AND GOSSIP