Is Liverpool’s football really that bad?

Is the football really that bad? I’m not having it, not entirely. Yes, the second half against Wolves was rough and it felt like we invited trouble in by sitting on a lead. But that doesn’t mean the whole performance was some kind of unwatchable mess.

The frustrating bit is how quickly it can turn. You can play a decent 45, miss a chance for a third, concede a soft set piece and suddenly everyone looks like they’ve forgotten how to play. That’s not “no plan”. That’s confidence being fragile, and when it goes, it goes fast.

The first half had structure, not chaos

I don’t get the shouts that the first half was bad. To be fair, it looked like everyone understood their jobs. When we lost it, we weren’t strolling back into shape, we were trying to win it back. When we had it, we weren’t doing one predictable thing over and over either.

There were a few routes: using the full-backs for width, trying to find pockets centrally, going around the block when it was there, and looking in behind when the timing felt right. That’s what a team trying to build a new rhythm actually looks like.

Wirtz drifting, links forming, ideas emerging

One of the more encouraging signs was Wirtz in that freer role, buzzing about and connecting different bits of the pitch. One minute he’s linking with Kerkez, next he’s combining with Frimpong. That sort of movement matters because it gives you options when opponents sit in and try to make the game feel like walking through glue.

And honestly, I wasn’t bored. I was watching for little hints of what it could become when form levels out and things start to click, especially if the attacking play is meant to funnel through Flo more consistently.

Pressing nostalgia and the reality of balance

Loads of people want relentless high pressing like the peak Klopp years. Who doesn’t? But that intensity, week after week, is a physical demand and it’s not something you just flick back on because you fancy it. Even Klopp’s best sides had cycles, and no one sustains full-throttle chaos forever.

There’s also this idea that “with these players we should be strolling the league”, which doesn’t add up if the same breath is used to say we’re crying out for a midfielder with steel. The truth is the squad can still be imbalanced: a centre-half who progresses the ball cleanly, and a midfielder who can hold position, tackle, and move it forward with purpose would change the feel of everything.

Because right now, if you think certain midfield profiles aren’t quite giving you that passing control, and if key form dips are making transitions messy, it’s no surprise we look great in spells and ragged in others. Fix the balance, and you’ll see a different team.

Written by PatrikBurgher: 4 January 2026