Effort First: Why Slot Has to Lift Standards

Squad depth is great. It always will be. But it’s hard to get too excited about the options on the bench when the basics aren’t showing up often enough in the starting XI.

That’s the frustration here. Not that Liverpool might be short in one or two areas, or that other sides have quality too. It’s that we’re not getting the best out of individuals, and it’s confounding when you watch it unfold. You can see ability in the group. You can see athleticism. But you can also see moments where the intensity drops and the game just drifts.

The Barcelona reminder: talent isn’t everything

I rewatched the Barcelona comeback recently and it hits you straight away: that Liverpool side didn’t win because we suddenly had more natural talent than them. We didn’t. We were out-talented, let’s be honest about it. But we had something they didn’t have that night. Desire. Edge. A refusal to lose a duel.

And that’s the bit that sticks in your throat when you compare it to any performance where we look passive. Because effort is the one thing you can always control. There will always be a better footballer somewhere. Faster, stronger, cleaner on the ball. But getting outworked? That’s a choice. That’s not fate.

Tactics matter, but work-rate is the floor

Tactics are a huge part of it, obviously. Shape, pressing triggers, distances between the lines, who covers who in transition. All that stuff can make players look half a yard slow even when they’re trying.

But even with that said, I’d still rather watch 11 lads empty the tank than a team that looks like it’s waiting for the match to come to them. You can have both, of course. The best Liverpool sides have always had both. But at an absolute minimum you want the hard work in the kit bag, ready to go, every single week.

Leadership, coaching, and why the buck stops with Slot

Think back to that Barcelona match and the players who set the tone. Henderson dragging people up the pitch. Milner snapping into challenges. Origi turning up with big moments, but also doing the unglamorous bits when we needed them. It wasn’t fancy. It was committed.

So when you watch this group and ask why they can’t replicate the easiest thing in sport, it doesn’t land on one player. It lands on the environment. Standards. Demands. Clarity.

That’s why, in the end, it comes back to Arne Slot. Coaching isn’t just patterns of play. It’s inspiration and leadership too. If the intensity isn’t there often enough, the responsibility sits at the top.

Written by Para-red: 15 January 2026