Gags Tandon: “That was an absolutely awful, awful performance” | OneFootball

Liverpool Escape Forest Despite Dire First Half Performance Under Slot’s Tactics

Liverpool left the City Ground with three precious points, but not many illusions. This was not dominance, not control, not even competence for long spells. It was survival. And in a season defined by fragile confidence and tactical experimentation under Arne Slot, survival can feel like progress.

Speaking on the Anfield Index post-match show, both Gags Tandon and Lola Katz Roberts captured the strange mood surrounding Liverpool’s win over Nottingham Forest. Relief, gratitude, and a nagging concern that something still isn’t quite right.

As Tandon admitted bluntly: “This was an absolutely awful, awful performance. There’s no excuse for it really.”

First Half Chaos Raises Tactical Questions

Liverpool’s first half performance was dreadful. Passive pressing, loose passing, and no rhythm. Forest were not brilliant, but they were sharper, more organised, and more aggressive in duels.

Roberts summed it up perfectly: “It was sloppiness and inability to play through the press that created their pressure.”

Under Slot’s tactics, Liverpool often look like a side trying to remember its identity mid-match. The positional rotations are clever on paper, but they rely on crisp execution. Without that, the system collapses into confusion.

Tandon noticed the same pattern across the campaign: “This season we start games so passively. I don’t know what’s going on.”

The numbers told a similar story. Liverpool created almost nothing early on, barely registering meaningful xG until late in the game. It was the sort of first half performance that invites panic in the stands and criticism in the press.

Yet somehow, Liverpool survived.

Late Winner Masks Bigger Issues

Liverpool’s late goal brought joy, but not clarity. As Roberts reminded listeners: “We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that we’ve won.”

That is football’s eternal contradiction. Results shape narratives more than performances.

Tandon was honest about fortune playing its part: “We got very lucky today. There’s no two ways about it. We were the worst team out of the two.”

And yet, Liverpool fans know this script. League-winning teams steal points on bad days. Ferguson’s Manchester United did it. Mourinho’s Chelsea did it. Klopp’s Liverpool did it too.

Perhaps Slot’s Liverpool are learning that trick.

Slot’s Tactics Still a Work in Progress

This Liverpool side feels like one caught between eras. The pressing ferocity of Jürgen Klopp’s peak years is gone. The fluid control Slot seeks has not fully arrived.

Roberts pointed to one key issue: “It feels like every game we start from zero in terms of link-up play.”

Injuries, positional changes, and tactical tinkering have disrupted partnerships. Mohamed Salah without a consistent right-back partner. Midfielders shifting roles. Young players trying to break through.

Slot is searching for balance, and balance takes time.

Still, Tandon saw a positive: “Sometimes you’ve just got to find a way to win, and that’s what we did today.”

Signs of Improvement Must Come Quickly

Liverpool cannot rely on fortune forever. With rivals tightening in the race for Champions League places, improvement is essential.

Roberts believes progress is possible: “Three wins in a row is no mean feat, and we’ve got to try to build a platform from here.”

Slot’s tactics are not failing outright. They are incomplete. There is structure, but not consistency. Intent, but not execution.

Liverpool fans know what improvement looks like: quicker starts, smarter pressing, clearer passing lanes. A team that controls games rather than escapes them.

Tandon put it simply: “If we’re winning games because of a set piece now, then it’s long overdue.”

But Liverpool’s ambitions stretch beyond scrappy wins. The standard is higher. The expectation is dominance.

The City Ground result was a reminder that football seasons are rarely tidy stories. Sometimes they are messy, awkward, uncomfortable affairs. Liverpool were poor, fortunate, and victorious.

And for now, that will have to do.