The big tactical problem Liverpool must overcome against Nottingham Forest as £15m star set for comeback

Liverpool boss Arne Slot must find an antidote to his team’s long-ball problem before facing Nottingham Forest

After a disappointing 3-0 loss to title rivals Manchester City, Liverpool boss Arne Slot knows there is basically no room for error after his side are to fight their way back into this season’s title race.

The Reds won the league at a canter last season, but have thus far failed to adapt to an evolving Premier League which has seen teams place a greater emphasis on direct patterns of play, long throwings into the box and goalkeepers often launching the ball forward rather than rolling it to the defender’s feet.

Of course, every team in the Premier League plays a slightly different brand of football. Liverpool proved themselves as the masters of the high-press under Jurgen Klopp and attacked teams with a pace and purpose that often made games end-to-end while Slot adopted more of a slower possession based brand of football with an emphasis on controlling games rather than overpowering the opposition through pace and power.