Fulham Away: When the Noise and Play Drop

I went to Fulham and, honestly, the thing that hit me first wasn’t a clever pattern of play or a tactical wrinkle. It was the sound. Or the lack of it. I’ve done plenty of away ends following the Reds and I can’t remember hearing one as flat as that. Not angry, not even properly nervous. Just… apathetic. That’s what makes it feel so grim, because you can usually rely on Liverpool supporters to drag the energy up even when the football won’t.

And the uncomfortable truth is the performance seemed to feed off that same mood. Not enough spark. Not enough urgency when we needed it. The whole thing had the feel of a side waiting for something to happen rather than forcing it.

The substitutions didn’t help the rhythm

The changes felt baffling at the time and they still do now. Curtis and Wirtz weren’t tearing it up, but they looked like the only two trying to make something happen in tight areas. A turn, a carry, a pass with a bit of intent. Then they’re the first ones hooked.

It’s not even about pretending they were brilliant. It’s about what the substitutions did to the shape and the feel of the side. We managed to get a goal, but the all-round play seemed to drop off a cliff after the changes. That’s the bit that worries me. If you’re making substitutions, it should be to add clarity and control. Instead it felt like we lost whatever thread we had.

Konate looks worse in the flesh

Konate is another one where being in the ground only sharpened the concern. On TV he can look ragged, but live it felt even more obvious. The big issue for me isn’t just individual moments, it’s the knock-on effect. When a top centre-half is on it, everyone around him plays taller. The line steps up. The midfield press with more confidence. The full-backs take better positions.

Here it felt like the opposite: uncertainty spreading. Players taking that extra half-second, dropping a yard, second-guessing. Maybe that’s harsh, but it’s what it looked and felt like from the stand.

It lands on the coach now

At some point you stop blaming “fine margins” and start looking at the bench. If the atmosphere is flat, the patterns are unclear, and the in-game management makes the team worse rather than better, then it’s on the coach. That’s where I’m at with it.

I can still say thanks to Arne for what went right: winning the title last season and carrying himself with sensitivity and class through last summer’s tragedy, bridging the gap after Klopp. That matters. But football moves quickly. If a good replacement becomes available, I genuinely think the change has to happen early, because the longer you drift, the harder it is to snap out of it.

Written by Mister_T: 13 January 2026