On occasions this season, Virgil van Dijk has used the word "sloppy" to describe Liverpool's struggles.
After a 1-1 draw against Burnley in January, the Liverpool captain said: "After 60 minutes, we started to become sloppy and it's not the first time. We have to address that."
A few days later in Milan, that quote was put to left-back Milos Kerkez, who told BBC Sport that he agreed with Van Dijk's assessment.
"After 60-70 [minutes] we always lose focus and lose some tactical discipline. I don't know, we get tired, I am not sure whatever it is, but I agree with that."
One of the big reasons Slot was brought in to succeed Jurgen Klopp was his impressive ability to keep his players fit. Of the shortlisted managers, only Ruben Amorim boasted a better record.
The Dutchman opted for a style of training that was less intense than what players may have been used to.
Slot worked with Ruben Peeters at Feyenoord who followed him to Liverpool, now as the first team's lead performance coach. The pair catered training to specific players, altering the intensity based on Liverpool's schedule and demands of upcoming games.
Sessions became longer but less intense and, on match days, Slot's Liverpool played less intensely out-of-possession than Klopp did.
All of these factors, built upon a squad that was conditioned to play under Jurgen Klopp, combined to leave them remarkably injury-free last season, resulting in Liverpool being crowned Premier League champions.
They have not been so fortunate this season.
Liverpool have looked to break teams down by initially committing bodies to the box, an approach that has left them vulnerable to counter-attacks.
Teams have deliberately looked to play long against Liverpool, which has also introduced more end-to-end running and duelling. The Liverpool players have physically struggled with this.
Slot has since gone for a more measured and defensively solid set-up which has reduced how end-to-end games are, but Liverpool struggle to score early.
The Premier League is home to the most sprints and high-intensity runs in Europe. Opponents can afford to minimise how much they run through a season by spending large parts of the game in their pragmatic low-blocks.
However, Liverpool's fans are likely to want to see high-octane games from their side.
With an uptick in soft tissue injuries, there is a worry the training methods and on-field tactics described above have been sub-optimal this season when compared to last season, with Liverpool's players dropping off in the latter parts of games.
Between wanting to appease the fans, ensuring his players stay fit, wanting to score early and aiming to stay solid at the back, the Liverpool boss has a difficult balancing act on his hands.
