Jeremie Frimpong urges Liverpool to be more clinical against Nottingham Forest

Liverpool defender Jeremie Frimpong says his side must “finish the actions” when Nottingham Forest visit Anfield, after wasting opportunities in their 2-2 draw at Newcastle United in the opening game of their Premier League campaign.

Liverpool created enough chances to win at St James’ Park last weekend, but needed a 99th-minute penalty from Dominik Szoboszlai to secure a point. Frimpong says head coach Andoni Iraola and his coaching staff have focused on improving Liverpool’s finishing during training this week.

“Finishing your chances, finishing the actions, because that’s what gets you the result,” Frimpong told Liverpoolfc.com.

“You can keep the ball all you want but if you don’t finish then it stays 0-0 or they end up scoring, so just finish the actions.”

The result was Liverpool’s first competitive match under Iraola, who took charge before the start of the new season. Frimpong acknowledged that the squad is still adjusting to the Spaniard’s tactical approach, but believes the process is progressing positively.

“It’s normal. I think every coach has their own type of system that they want to play and it takes time to adjust,” he said.

“So, we’re still working on it but I think it’s going the right way.”

Frimpong has operated at right-back throughout pre-season and in the opening league match, rather than playing in the more advanced position he sometimes occupied during the previous campaign.

“Last season was a mixture of right wing and right-back, but right now it’s just been right-back,” Frimpong said.

“I feel like I’m defending more, I’m recovering more (and) I still attack, of course. But I like it, I’m enjoying it.”

The Netherlands international also welcomed the opportunity to play consistently again after an injury-hit previous season.

“Obviously first of all, I’m enjoying just being on the pitch because last season [I had] injuries,” he added.

Liverpool’s first home match of the campaign gives them the chance to claim their first victory, and Frimpong believes the atmosphere at Anfield can provide an important advantage.

“This is home, this is where we’re comfortable at, this is where we are at peace,” he said.

“It’s going to be a tough game, but we’re happy to be home again with all of our fans – when you’re at home with fans like Liverpool’s, it’s amazing.”

Frimpong expects Nottingham Forest to pose a significant challenge. He has already watched the team in action, attending their pre-season friendly against Bayer Leverkusen.

“I’ve watched Forest. They had a pre-season friendly against [Bayer] Leverkusen and I went over to watch them,” he said.

“They play good football, they are really good. I really like how they play.”

Liverpool will attempt to turn their opening-day draw into a first win under Iraola, with Frimpong insisting the hosts will need to show determination throughout the contest.

“We definitely want to win against Forest for sure,” he said. “It’s going to be a hard battle but we’ll see what happens.”