Why was Arne Slot so unhappy with Liverpool's win over Girona?

Liverpool essentially secured passage to the Champions League knockout stages with victory in Spain but their manager did not like the performance.

Photo: IMAGO | Anfield Index

For Liverpool supporters, it was easy to focus on the bigger picture after a forgettable 1-0 win over Girona had been secured by a slightly fortuitous penalty on Tuesday.

Although ugly, this was a victory that had essentially secured passage to the Champions League last 16, not only ensuring a play-off was avoided but also rendering the final two group games largely meaningless.

Yet, when he arrived for his post-match press conference, Arne Slot did not seem like a man who wished to focus on these obvious positives.

Instead, he ended an answer to a gentle question on his side’s 100% record in this competition this season by declaring: “I'm far from pleased about the performance tonight.”

Asked to expand on his unhappiness, the Dutchman spoke about his dissatisfaction with his team’s defensive performance, which he felt lacked aggression throughout.

In fairness, he was not alone, as this first-half shot of an exasperated Dominik Szoboszlai (pictured far right) lambasting his teammates’ failure to back up the press shows.

And there were clear consequences for the ease with which the Reds were played through, with Girona registering four shots on target across the opening 45 minutes.