If Slot Hates It, Why Persist?

There’s a growing frustration that Liverpool’s approach feels timid and repetitive, and the most worrying bit is it looks like it’s draining the legs too. If Arne Slot isn’t convinced, why are we still seeing it?

The bit that really sticks in my throat at the moment is the disconnect. If Arne Slot genuinely isn’t happy with how Liverpool are playing, then why are we still watching the same patterns roll out again and again? That’s not a rhetorical flourish, either. It’s the basic question that sits behind all the grumbling.

Managers aren’t passengers. They pick the shape, set the tone, decide what’s acceptable and what gets binned. So when you hear the line that “Slot doesn’t like the performance”, it can feel like an attempt to separate him from the football we’re actually seeing. And you can’t really do that. The buck stops with the manager, always.

A style that looks scared of the forward pass

There’s a version of controlled football that makes sense: keep the ball, move the opposition about, pick the right moments to accelerate. But control shouldn’t look like fear. When it gets to the point where players look reluctant to play forward, it starts feeling less like patience and more like hesitation.

It’s not about demanding gung-ho stuff every week. It’s about intent. You can accept the odd recycle, you can even accept slow spells, but you still need to see the team recognise a forward option and take it without second-guessing themselves. Otherwise it turns into a loop: safe pass, safe pass, crowd gets edgy, players get edgier, and you’re back where you started.

Fitness, cramp, and finishing games properly

The other worry is the physical side. Watching Liverpool look like they’re hanging on late, with cramp creeping in, doesn’t scream “we’re getting fitter”. It screams that the load isn’t right, or that the football itself is costing too much.

Now, no one outside the training ground knows the exact conditioning plan, and cramp can be a messy thing. But supporters are allowed to ask the obvious question: why do we look short in the last stretch so often? If you’re trying to implement a new style, fine. If you’re trying to bed in different demands, fine. But the end product still has to be a side that can finish matches with clarity and legs.

Responsibility can’t be outsourced

Ultimately, it comes back to accountability. The players don’t train themselves. They don’t set the weekly priorities. And they don’t decide whether a cautious approach stays or goes.

If Slot wants Liverpool to be braver, sharper and more direct when it matters, it has to show up in selection, in instructions, and in what happens after half-time. Because if the manager doesn’t like the way it looks, persisting with it is a choice. And that’s the bit fans are struggling to swallow.

Written by OliRed: 5 January 2026