Backed in summer, but coaching has to improve

The debate about whether Arne Slot has been backed is starting to feel like a distraction. Players left, yes. But they were replaced, and not with bargain-bin punts either. That’s why it’s hard to buy the idea that this is all down to a lack of bodies or a lack of support.

The bigger issue is that too many of the players who are available simply aren’t playing well enough, and that lands on the manager and his staff. At some point, the conversation has to move away from who we don’t have and back to what we’re doing with who we do have.

Injuries happen, but the basics still matter

Of course there are mitigating factors. The defensive situation in particular has been messy, and nobody’s pretending otherwise. But we’ve been here before as a club. Liverpool have had seasons where we’ve had to muddle through at centre-half, where partnerships change week to week, where the line looks a yard deeper because trust isn’t quite there.

And even then, you still expect the team to have a recognisable identity. You still expect some control in possession, some coherence out of possession, and a collective understanding of what the plan is when the game turns.

Form is a manager problem as much as a player problem

It’s fair to say individual errors and individual form dips have played their part. But that’s the point: when too many lads look off it at the same time, it stops being “a couple of players having a wobble” and starts looking like a wider coaching issue.

You can’t keep pointing at the squad and asking for more while performances keep sliding. If anything, that’s exactly why a director of football might hesitate. Not out of spite, but because you want to see evidence that the group you’ve got can be coached into something consistent and effective before you throw more pieces into the mix.

Last season earned patience, but this season needed a step on

None of this has to mean people are “against” Slot. Far from it. Last season, he exceeded expectations and deserves credit for that. The frustration comes because this season began with what looks, on paper at least, like a stronger hand than he had previously. So why does it feel like we’ve gone backwards in the areas that should travel from year to year: intensity, organisation, clarity?

That’s why some supporters are arriving at an uncomfortable conclusion: even with injuries and other factors, Liverpool should be performing better than this. And if the baseline isn’t there, then it’s hard to escape the idea that a change might be needed, regardless of what happens in the transfer window.

Written by Sean Dundee: 29 January 2026