Arne Sloter says starting Soboslai was a mistake

Arne Sloter has explained why he believes starting Dominik Szoboslai against Southampton was a “mistake”.

Despite falling behind at halftime, Liverpool staged a comeback in the second half and won 3-2, further consolidating their lead at the top of the Premier League standings and extending their lead to 16 points. Darwin Nunez quickly scored in the second half to start the counterattack, while Mohamed Salah scored two penalties to help the Reds take all three points.

However, this victory was due to the tactical adjustments made by Slote at halftime. He decisively replaced Harvey Elliott, Alexis McAllister and Andy Robertson, replacing Soboslai, Curtis Jones and Kostas Tsimikas to enhance the vitality of the midfield. Slote revealed that the team's sluggish performance in the first half prompted him to make this decision, and looking back on the whole game, he admitted that it was a mistake to initially arrange Soboslai to start.

The Hungarian midfielder is known for his excellent running ability and endurance, but his performance in the first half was obviously not at his best. In an interview after the game, Slot admitted: "If I could choose again, I would make different arrangements - but you can't predict these situations in advance. Every time I talk about Dominic, I say that he is like a machine, always running, sprinting and fighting."

"But maybe this is the first time this season that I saw a difference in his energy during the game. Maybe it's normal, maybe I made a mistake by starting him because he gives his all in every game. The good news is that he only played 45 minutes, so now he has more time to recover and be ready for the next game than if he played the whole game."

After defeating Southampton, Liverpool will focus on preparing for the upcoming Champions League matches, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield on Tuesday night in the second leg of the round of 16. The Reds will then face Newcastle at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.