Arne Slot don dey channel him Winston Churchill to take bring Liverpool back to life

E dey doubtful say anyone for Liverpool don ever waka enta di dressing room talk say: ‘We want Winston Churchill.’ no mata whether dem fit get dia own Dutch version of am anyway.

Among him many qualities, Arne Slot evidently sabi how to deliver half-time rally cry.

While dem dey secure victory for Girona to guarantee qualification to di Champions League round of 16, Liverpool continue dia happy knack of improving with time.

Twenty of di past 24 Liverpool goals don arrive for di second half most afta di 60th minute which depending on your point of view mean say dem dey worryingly be slow starters or dem love big finish.

Slot no dey impressed by dis contradiction and e issue rousing messages post-match too, criticizing him players for dia lack of application for first half where dem dey grateful say goalkeeper Alisson mark him comeback with di kind of performance wey underline him status as di world’s number one.

“If you ask me about all di six Champions League games, I dey really pleased with all di results,” Slot talk.

“I dey really pleased with di first five games, but I dey far from pleased about di performance tonight.”

“If you play against team wey get such good idea about football and sabi how to bring di ball out from di back like some of di teams we don play recently, such as Real Madrid and Manchester City, you need to be so intense if you want make e difficult for dem.

“But if you dey wait few seconds to press dem then dis team fit cause you plenty problems.”

“Every time we lose di ball, we no dey aggressive enough and dem fit go almost all di way to our goal to get a shot.”

Dis no be di first public dressing down from Slot to remind him players of standards.

There dey occasions albeit rare wen dis extraordinarily talented group of players look like dem want to win in second gear.

Dem dey for dia most thrillingly effective at dia famed ‘full throttle’ without di ball as much as with am, and Slot no want make dem slack off.

E must dey tired of giving di same speech during di break.

Whatever messages he and him coaching team dey dispatch during di intervals, him team dey keep re-emerging re-energised with tactical problems solved.

Di momentum of games more often than not irreversibly shifting towards di Champions League and Premier League leaders.

Such attention to detail dey become feature of Slot’s debut campaign, like grandmaster wey dey make di necessary adjustment having rapidly assessed where him opponent dey try to strike.

Afta Alisson’s first-half brilliance, Mohamed Salah be di inevitable attacking catalyst for victory here, him 63rd-minute penalty end Girona’s resistance to preserve Liverpool’s 100 percent Champions League record.

Dat follow one prolonged period of Liverpool possession wey, while e also be feature of di first half, include several lapses where di home side fit benefit from counter-attacks.

Such frequent surges dem snuff out as di game progress.

Dis still no be as straightforward as previous European victories, di evening dey remind pesin of one tight away fixture for one unfashionable English stadium more than one intimidating Uefa tie.

E no dey surprising given how many players familiar to Premier League football dey for di home line-up.

Slot’s decision to pick him strongest available XI and leave out di unlucky Caoimhin Kelleher dey vindicated.

Alisson dey called upon five times for di first 50 minutes, him capacity to make di difficult look straightforward dey assert him class.

Dis excellence lay di foundation so wen former Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek foul Luis Díaz, Mohamed Salah fit take di points.

“We get incredible goalkeeper. Alisson don dey so important for so many years and e show why e be, for my opinion, one of di best or di best for di world,” Slot talk.

Liverpool fit don lead sooner but dem squander numerous first-half chances.

Darwin Núñez remain di great Liverpool enigma, di arguments still dey rage as to whether Slot’s side fit maintain dia dominance for house and for Europe without one free-scoring number nine.

No Anfield striker don embrace di phrase ‘hit and miss’ so eagerly as Núñez, him moments of quality so often dey caveated because of him tendency to squander routine chances, albeit while e dey convert di spectacular.

For any normal season, one central striker wey score just three goals heading to Christmas go be cause for concern.

Di issue don dey camouflaged by di reliability of others, especially Salah wey continue to press home him case for that new deal.

Diogo Jota get more goals than Nunez for dis campaign and e never play for six weeks.

Nothing don happen for Jota’s absence to suggest say e no go assume senior status wen e return for di coming weeks.

Núñez’s defenders go point out say e dey work harder than ever and still dey make di runs beyond defenders in di hope of one decisive pass.

For much of di season, e don cut one frustrated figure wen e no dey receive di necessary assists.

Dis be more of di Núñez of last season as opportunities come and go, di Uruguayan dey embrace di hit-and-hope theory to shoot directly at keeper Paulo Gazzaniga afta perfect through-balls from Ryan Graven berch and Salah.

Rather than pay di penalty for wastefulness and carelessness, Liverpool win with one.

Di fixer Slot dey recognize and dey correct flaws as Liverpool dey march on.

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