Liverpool forward Hugo Ekitike has netted five goals in four games, indicating he is beginning to adapt to the Premier League, yet coach Arne Slot reveals that he had to encourage the athlete to achieve his current performance levels.
The 22-year-old scored during his first three outings following his transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt, but the £125 million signing of Alexander Isak overshadowed some of his achievements.
Following that, he faced a challenging stretch with just three goals in his following 17 games as the incorporation of the British record recruit and the team’s struggles affected his performance.
However, with Isak now out for several months and Mohamed Salah competing in the Africa Cup of Nations, the France international faces increased expectations.
His ongoing efforts to adjust to English football, particularly in terms of physicality, are yielding benefits during his current streak of form – although Slot notes that the player needed encouragement to understand it was beneficial for him.
«He displayed significant effort to attain the fitness level he is at now,» the Dutch coach remarked.
«At times, it took a bit of persuasion — me — to make him realize this work is essential for becoming stronger, yet he always persevered, not always with enthusiasm, but he has genuinely put in the effort to enhance his fitness both on the field and off.
«I’ve also tried to impress upon him that the better you defend set-pieces, the greater your chances of scoring on the opposite end, because if you’re at 0-0, scoring is easier than when you’re trailing 1-0.
«It might sound peculiar, but it influences the energy levels of the opposing team. For him and us to score goals, it’s vital we do not concede from set pieces.
«He is prepared for the upcoming challenges, but he is not the sole No. 9 available to me. Federico Chiesa can also fill that role.»
Liverpool approaches their home match against last-placed Wolves after an unbeaten streak of six matches (four wins, two draws) and it seems they have made progress after suffering nine losses in 12 games.
– Liverpool vs Wolves: How to watch
– Frank dismisses Slot’s assertion that Van de Ven’s tackle on Isak was ‘reckless’
– Premier League standings
Nonetheless, Slot did not perceive significant variations in many of the performances during those two stretches.
«The primary factor that has shifted is, aside from the second half against Brighton (2-0 win on December 13), we haven’t allowed as many opportunities as we did previously,» he continued.
«I believe we’ve also experienced a bit more fortune than we did in earlier matches, considering we’ve played games where we were significantly better than the opposition.
«In the recent game against Spurs, I don’t believe we created many more chances than them, and against Brighton, it was fairly equal, yet we won both matches.
«Time and again we encountered bad luck regarding results, nearly every match, but in the last two contests, I wouldn’t claim we didn’t earn our victories; however, those games were more balanced than many others resulting in losses.»
