A. Slotas emphasized "Leeds" defensive compression after the draw.

2026-01-02 10:09 © AP

Liverpool continues to struggle to find its rhythm in the English Premier League.

On the first day of 2026, the English champions only managed a 0-0 draw at home against league newcomers Leeds United.

After the match, Liverpool's coach Arne Slot emphasized the opponents' concentration in defense.

The opponents' goalkeeper practically kicked all the balls straight forward, and in battles against us, all 11 Leeds players were positioned behind the ball.

We all want to transition to attack as quickly as possible, but it's not easy when you have 11 opponents standing in front of you. The opponents pressed tightly around the penalty area, so it was extremely difficult to find free players in the most dangerous zone.

We mostly control the ball, but that doesn’t mean much if we can't create spaces. That requires successful individual performances and unconventional solutions.

You can try to play on the counterattack, but that's impossible if all 11 players from the opposing team are defending near their penalty area," Slot said after the match.

The Dutchman was also dissatisfied that no penalty was awarded in the first half when Hugo Ekitike was held in the penalty area.

"In the first half, Ekitike was held in the penalty area, but he chose to fight and stay on his feet, because even when we go down, penalties are not awarded. Such things make a difference in matches. I see how players from other teams choose to go down in such situations, but we don't want to do that," Slot explained.