Arne Slot believes that the players on his bench have the ability to turn the game around.
Liverpool’s smooth run seems to have hit a rough patch. They’ve dropped points in two consecutive Premier League matches. After barely avoiding a loss against Nottingham Forest in their most recent match, questions about the team’s strength have begun to surface. So, will the club bring in new players during the current transfer window? Coach Arne Slot doesn’t see the need for any new signings.
In Tuesday night’s Premier League match at Nottingham Forest, Liverpool fell behind early. Chris Wood put the hosts ahead with a brilliant goal in the 8th minute. In a rather lackluster first half, Slot’s team couldn’t create anything to equalize.
However, in the second half, Liverpool’s savior arrived in the form of Diogo Jota. Just 22 seconds after coming on as a substitute in the 66th minute, the Portuguese forward leveled the score. The goal came from a header off a corner from Kostas Tsimikas, who had also just been substituted.
Jota’s 22-second goal set a new record for the fastest goal scored by a Liverpool substitute in the Premier League. After that, neither team found the net, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
In the post-match press conference, the topic of signing new players in the January transfer window came up. The Dutch coach responded that his team’s bench players are capable of making a difference in matches, so he doesn’t think there’s a need to bring in new footballers.
“I think you saw today as well, with the substitutes coming on, I can still strengthen the team or make an impact on the match,” said Slot. “And this season, our substitutes have helped us for the first time. Given today’s game, I couldn’t have asked for more. I told them not to be disappointed during the break.”
“I knew that with the players we had available, we could create opportunities. Towards the end, we created chance after chance and could have won.”
After a strong start to the season, Liverpool seems to have lost their way. In 2025, they’ve won just one out of four matches across all competitions, drawing two and losing one.
Despite two consecutive league draws, they remain top of the Premier League with 47 points from 20 matches, including 14 wins and 5 draws.
