Gary Neville hails 'brutal' Arne Slot decision that was key to Liverpool's win over Ipswich

Gary Neville has lauded the decisiveness of Liverpool's new manager, Arne Slot, calling him "clinical and brutal" after a tactical switch during his first Premier League game reaped rewards.

In his debut league outing , Slot guided Liverpool to a 2-0 victory over Ipswich Town but demonstrated his unyielding approach by subbing Jarell Quansah at the break following an underwhelming first-half show from the squad.

The decision seemed to be justified , as Liverpool upped their game in the second half, though it must be said the opposition appeared fatigued post-interval.

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Commenting on his podcast, Sky Sports pundit Neville didn't hold back: "Slot was quite tough on Quansah. Subbing someone at half time is big and I don't think it's done lightly by managers."

Neville also noted Slot's forthrightness following the match, remarking: "It was the way in which after the game he was quite blunt about how he answered it. There was no holding back."

Neville views Slot's choice as reflective of his managerial ethos, explaining: "I think there's an element there of him being quite clinical and brutal and saying he's reacting to the game and what was happening," he observed.

The main reason behind Slot's call, Neville believes, was to gain control of the game. He said: "He felt like they needed to win the duels. I think that was his main thread behind the decision and it worked. You've got to say in the second half Liverpool were a lot better and it was a good win for them."

Slot revealed the motivational words he delivered during half-time that ignited a second-half comeback. The 45-year-old coach pointed out that it wasn't only Quansah who was underperforming.

"The first thing I said was we don't have to speak about tactics if you lose so many duels, and that's what we did," he shared in his post-match press conference.

"It's not that Jarell lost every duel, many of us lost too many duels, so we needed Ibrahima Konate to win these long balls in the air towards their No.9 (Delap), so that helped and gave us control. But they put so, so much energy into the first half, running, fighting, playing all over the pitch one v one, and I don't think they could keep up with that tempo in the second half."

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