I’m Proud Of Ballon d’Or Nomination – Saka

Arne Slot got his first taste of defeat as Liverpool boss on Saturday as his side lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, with visiting manager Nuno Espírito Santo out-foxing the Dutchman in a fascinating encounter.

Forest got their tactics spot on, packing the centre of midfield and crowding out Liverpool’s wide players. And although the home side had some decent chances in the first half, they were not clinical enough in front of goal.

“The result frustrates the most, and we cannot be happy about how the game went. It was a stop-start game and we hardly created any chances,” Slot said.

“We only have to look at ourselves — we have to be better. Far too many times we lost the ball around the area, it was not good enough. We have to be better with the ball.”

Forest’s solid block may have left Liverpool short of space but they were their own worst enemies at times and substitutes Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi combined for the latter to score on the counter and claim three points for the visitors.

“Our decisions and execution weren’t good enough. In general we defended quite well, but the two fast players came on and made it difficult. We took a lot of risk and in the end it was a very good goal,” Slot added.

Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka has expressed delight to have been nominated for this year’s Ballon d’Or award.

Recall that the England international was listed among the top 30 players for the prestigious award.

Speaking with the club’s website, Saka said that he’s happy that his efforts has been recognized.

“It’s obviously a huge honour to be in the top 30 best players in the world on that list,” he told arsenal.com. “It’s recognition of all the hard work I’ve been putting in across the season, so it’s a really nice moment to see your name on the list.

“Since I was young, I always wanted to be a player that has an important role in the team, whether it’s scoring goals or making goals, just being the difference in the final third. When I came into the first team, I was starting at the back, but in the back of my mind I still wanted to be involved in the goals.

“I’ve got the license to play in my natural position on the wing and I’ve always put pressure on myself. Before other people speak about what they expect of me, I expect the highest of myself. I’m satisfied with what I’m doing, but I know that I haven’t achieved my goals yet so that’s what keeps me motivated.”