Liverpool head Arne Slot believes Town have improved over the course of the first half of the season and have been unfortunate to drop points in the latter stages of some matches.

The Blues visit Anfield tomorrow with the Reds top of both the Premier League and Champions League, the teams last having met at Portman Road on the opening day when Town matched the Merseysiders in the first half before the visitors, with Slot taking charge for the first time, stepped up a gear and eventually ran out comfortable 2-0 winners.

“They’ve been a bit unlucky sometimes in the last moments of games,” the Dutchman said at his pre-match press conference. “I've said this a few times recently that the second half of the season is always more difficult than the first half because some teams strengthen themselves during the winter break.

“Some teams – not all of them but many teams – work with their manager for half a season and that normally leads to a team becoming better – and that's definitely the situation also for Ipswich, although they made it really difficult for us already in the first game of the season.

“But I think it's fair to say that they've improved during the first half [of the season] and that is also a compliment to Kieran McKenna that he already made it really difficult for us in the first game.

“I think the few games after were more difficult for them but then at a certain point they've become a very good team that makes it difficult for every team – except maybe their last game, which was an exception to the rule and maybe that was because [Manchester] City was City again.”

Slot says it is important to remain patient in matches such as Saturday’s and Tuesday’s 2-1 home victory over Lille in the Champions League when the opposition come primarily to stifle his side.

“That is difficult for fans and my father is a fan as well and when I call him after the game he can also say, 'It wasn't as exciting as other games of Liverpool' when he watched the game against Lille,” Slot continued.

“And then I have to try to explain [to] him that these games you can easily lose if you are starting to force all kinds of difficult balls – but he's not always agreeing with me then!

“But as a manager, I was quite happy with our performance against Lille because they were a team so well organised and [have] so much control

“I think there was one moment in the game I can remember that Curtis [Jones] tried to play on the halfway line a ball that was a bit of [a] risk and we lost that ball and they counter-attacked us.

“So, that's the risk you have if you play against a low-block team. [Nottingham] Forest is probably the best in the league if you play these stupid balls – which I call stupid balls [and] what my father would love to see us playing a bit more. That is the risk of them creating then much more chances.

“There's a difficult balance between taking the risk and conceding a lot, or having control [and] maybe not creating as much.

“But against this team, going 1-0 down – as we've seen against Forest [Liverpool’s only Premier League defeat this season] – is an even bigger problem, especially against a low block.

“So, it's a balance we have to find and I can understand that it's sometimes difficult for fans as well that come to the stadium to see us winning but us hopefully scoring a lot of games and an exciting match.

“But you need two teams for that and the better we do, the less likely it is that teams come to Anfield and say, 'Let's go to a high press and let's press them all over the pitch’.”

Midfielder Jones has been ruled out of Saturday’s match with a knock sustained against Lille, while forward Diogo Jota (muscle) and defender Joe Gomez (hamstring) remain sidelined.

Centre-back Ibrahima Konate has been playing through pain having recently returned from a knee injury and his load is being managed. The French international was left out against Lille but could be back against the Blues.

TWTD

Ebantiass added 11:01 - Jan 24 It's going to be a difficult game again but we can frustrate them and hopefully give it a real go and not just defending for ninty minutes. The longer we keep them out the more the home fans will turn on their own team hopefully.
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ImAbeliever added 11:02 - Jan 24 OK
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EricGatesShinpad added 11:07 - Jan 24 Maybe, just maybe Romance is a place.......... I think we just need to get stuck in and give it a real go. The fact that Sam 'Yellow card' Morsy got no where near Man City last week says we just were able to get anything on them....
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billlm added 11:41 - Jan 24 Only positive here will be keeping the goal difference down unlike city, it's tight may come to that,
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chepstowblue added 12:07 - Jan 24 I'm not so sure. We played with a lovely freedom on day one. Many of the recent performances have suggested a huge inferiority complex.
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Carberry added 13:32 - Jan 24 How we played at Arsenal started to change the players' self belief, I think. Then Chelsea and Fulham gave us all hope. Somehow they need to replicate those performances and put the City result behind them - not easy when you are playing the best in the League but let's hope.
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Tedray added 15:44 - Jan 24 With respect unless we beef up the midfield it could very well be a similar result but then there is always a ittle hope going into each game
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armchaircritic59 added 17:50 - Jan 24 Watched Liverpool a number of times this season, they are vulnerable wide defensively, down both sides. The question is, can we make it pay enough, whilst keeping the Salah led attacking talent out the other end!
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SpiritOfJohn added 10:55 - Jan 25 We have to play at our maximum level and hope Liverpool have an off-day. Anyone blaming Morsy, or any other individual, for last week's result is being harsh and wide of the mark. City turned up with their A game and we didn't have the answers to all the problems they gave us. It could be a long afternoon, unless we can defend better and execute our counter-attacks better than we did last weekend.

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Cafe_Newman added 11:07 - Jan 25 Graciousness or lip-service from slot? I'll save that judgement till after the match when he has to explain why Liverpool missed out on 3 points today.
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