Liverpool were unusually quiet in this summer’s transfer window, with the Reds making just two permanent signings as well as making only a handful of sales.
Sepp van ben Berg and Fabio Carvalho both joined Brentford as Federico Chiesa and Giorgi Mamardashvili arrived at Anfield, with Liverpool also allowing a number of youngsters to leave on loan.
One such player to depart Merseyside for the season was Owen Beck, with the young defender joining Championship side Blackburn Rovers, a club Liverpool have had considerable success with over the years in regards to loaning out players.
And the 22-year-old fullback is already making quite an impact with his loan club.
Owen Beck Blackburn’s ‘standout’ in 3-0 win vs Bristol City.
As per journalist Lewis Bower, Beck was key for Blackburn in their 3-0 victory against Championship side Bristol City this weekend, with the defender winning 11 out of 16 duels as well as completing 4 dribbles from an attempted 5.
Bower wrote: “Well, one standout today was Owen Beck. He won 11 from 16 duels for Blackburn today! He completed 4/5 from 5 dribbles as well. What a baptism of fire. This lad is an inspiration in how to react to set-backs. Great player in his own right.”
With Celtic linked with Beck this summer, the Liverpool defender is certainly making a name for himself this season with Blackburn having failed to break into the Reds’ first-team squad despite some appearances over the years under Jurgen Klopp.
Indeed, the Championship is proving to be an excellent platform for Beck to develop his game, and Blackburn are once again showing why they’re an ideal club for Liverpool to send their loan players to.
Liverpool could sell Beck for a big profit next summer
Beck is showing he can be a standout performer in the Championship, and at 22-years-old, Liverpool could be in an excellent position to cash in on the defender next summer upon his Anfield return.
Even if Beck was to become the best defender in the English second-tier, the odds of the fullback breaking into Slot’s first-team plans remain low, with the Reds having two quality options on both sides.
And if an offer was to be made next summer, Liverpool could make a big profit on Beck, who could be keen to leave for regular first-team football after a year in the Championship with Blackburn.
Callum Hudson-Odoi scored the only goal of the game in the 72nd minute to secure a historic Nottingham Forest win over Liverpool
Slot made a triple change at Anfield shortly before, with the Liverpool manager then making two more changes.
But the home substitutes had little impact on the match as Forest substitute Hudson-Odoi netted the winner from range.
Liverpool remain on nine points from their opening four Premier League matches after the loss, having won their first three games of the season.
Danny Murphy says what Arne Slot knows after Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest
Champions Manchester City remain top of the standings thanks to their four wins from four, while Aston Villa join the Reds on nine points.
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has now offered his thoughts on the result, having been asked on Match of the Day by Gary Lineker if the loss is a reality check for Slot.
“Maybe a little,” said Murphy. “There was a lack of ruthlessness and sharpness in the final third, maybe a little bit about players traveling all over with the international duty.
“If he wasn’t sure before he’ll know now how competitive this Premier League is. But no panic. Still a lot of positives for Liverpool, it’s been a good start.”
How Arne Slot can quickly bounce back at Liverpool
It was a hugely frustrating afternoon for all involved with the Anfield club, with spirits having been high going into the match.
The international break certainly came at a bad time for Slot, who had gained early-season momentum despite not being in the dugout for very long.
Slot’s honeymoon period is now over, with the Reds boss now needing to put the defeat in the past and pick up a victory next time out.
Unfortunately the Dutchman needs to wait until next weekend to pick up three Premier League points, when Bournemouth travel to Anfield.
There is, however, a trip to AC Milan midweek, with the Champions League clash a perfect opportunity for the Merseyside club to get back on track.
The first time Forest have won at Anfield since 1969, Liverpool experienced a surprise defeat at an early stage in the season as Callum Hudson-Odoi scored the only goal of the match in what could go down as the shock result of the weekend.
With Slot slamming Liverpool’s performance after the full-time whistle, the Dutch coach was clearly left fuming with how his side looked at Anfield, with the result stinging even more with Manchester City winning against Brentford.
And Chris Sutton has now shared what Slot will be feeling after yesterday’s loss.
‘Honeymoon period’ over as Slot tastes first Liverpool defeat.
Speaking to BBC Sport, the pundit declared that Slot’s honeymoon period with Liverpool was now over after such a strong start to life on the touchline with the Premier League giants having won the first three games of the season.
With Liverpool still firmly in the title race, this weekend’s result will be viewed by some fans as a setback given the incredible pace the likes of City and Arsenal have set in the last two years when it comes to challenging for the Premier League.
And Sutton now thinks Slot’s great start is at an end, with the pundit claiming that the Dutch coach will be annoyed with how the international break came too soon at the start of the season.
Sutton said: “Arne Slot’s honeymoon period is over, there’s plenty of work to do. Arne Slot will have not wanted the international break. His side this afternoon have been out-thought by this Forest team.”
Slot knows he could soon face pressure at Liverpool from neutrals
Replacing Jurgen Klopp was always going to be a difficult task for Slot, with the position one that many neutrals would believe to be impossible to take on with full force given how influential the German was at Liverpool.
And after this weekend’s loss against Forest, Slot could start to face some pressure from voices outside of Liverpool if results don’t pick up again soon, with AC Milan next up for the Reds.
Indeed, Slot is a top manager who is no stranger to pressure, and the Dutch coach will want to do all he can in the coming weeks to restore some credibility after this historic loss against Forest.
The Reds fell to a 1-0 defeat against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side as Liverpool witnessed their first loss of the season in disappointing fashion at Anfield, with Arne Slot fuming with his side after the full-time whistle.
With Nuno hailing his substitutes as the reason behind Forest’s incredible win against Liverpool, the Merseyside giants will be left angry with how they were beaten at home so early on in the new Premier League season.
And Forest’s win broke an impressive 55-year record at Anfield for Liverpool.
Forest’s win their first at Anfield against Liverpool since 1969.
Forest’s 1-0 result against Liverpool was the Garibaldi’s first against the Reds in the Premier League era and their first in the league since 1969, breaking a 55-year record that has held up until this weekend.
Given how good Liverpool have been at home in the last ten years under Jurgen Klopp, Slot experiencing his first loss so soon into his tenure on Merseyside might come across as a worrying sign for some supporters.
Indeed, the Dutch coach already has the impossible task of replacing a Liverpool legend in Klopp with a squad that saw little improvement over the summer transfer window in terms of new signings.
However, with an entire season to go, Liverpool know they have what it takes to redeem themselves after this shock result against Forest, with the Reds having the quality to show the world just how good they really are.
Liverpool can’t allow this result to spiral into something bad
Liverpool are one of the best teams in world football when it comes to home form, with the Reds making Anfield one of the hardest stadiums for visiting clubs to visit since the Klopp revolution in the last ten years.
And whilst one less against Forest isn’t the end of the world for Liverpool, a result like this could have the potential to become something bigger, with the Reds experiencing something similar during the infamous Covid-19 hit season of 2020/21.
Liverpool will still view themselves as contenders for the Premier League, and one result such as today’s against Forest can’t be used as something for the Reds to drop their standards in upcoming games.
