A goalless draw at Anfield against a side down near the bottom isn’t some kind of reset button. If anything, it just underlines where we are. You can dress it up as “stopping the rot”, but when you’re not creating enough, not controlling enough, and still looking nervy in the key moments, it’s hard to pretend the bigger problems have vanished.
And that’s the part that sticks in the throat. It’s not one small thing. It’s the same set of issues showing up again and again: midfield that can be played through too easily, a defence that doesn’t look settled, and set pieces that feel like a coin toss at best. When all of that is happening at once, a clean sheet doesn’t automatically feel like progress. It can just feel like… getting away with it.
Weak where it matters most
Football matches are won in the middle and in the boxes. Right now, it feels like we’re losing too many of those battles. In midfield, we can look lightweight without the ball and rushed with it. The knock-on effect is obvious: defenders end up defending bigger spaces, full-backs get dragged into awkward decisions, and the whole side starts playing on edge.
When Liverpool sides are right, you feel that squeeze. The press bites, second balls get hoovered up, and opponents can’t breathe. When it’s not right, everything becomes stretched, and even fairly average teams can have spells where they look comfortable. That’s not a flattering sign, especially at home.
Set pieces: both ends, same story
Set pieces should be a platform. A way to nick goals when open play is scrappy, and a way to calm games down defensively. At the moment, it’s the opposite. We don’t look like we trust our marking, we don’t look dominant attacking corners, and every free-kick into our box feels like it carries danger.
It’s not about wanting perfection. It’s about wanting competence. The basics. Win your header, clear your lines, and at least make the opposition feel something when we swing one in.
The patience is there, so meet it halfway
The idea that supporters are the ones “in disarray” doesn’t wash. If anything, the fanbase has shown plenty of patience watching some grim stuff, including heavy defeats at home and that sinking feeling of losing to a struggling United side. People can take bad results; what drains you is seeing the same faults go unaddressed.
That’s why the talk about not strengthening at centre-back is so unsettling. If the club decide to ride it out, fine, but then everyone has to accept it could be a long second half of the season, with fine margins turning against us. And looking at the next couple of matches, it’s hard to blame anyone for not expecting six points. You have to see it first.
Related Articles
About Liverpool News Views
Liverpool News Views offers daily Liverpool coverage including match reaction, transfer analysis, EFL context, tactical breakdowns and opinion-led articles written by supporters for supporters.
