There’s nothing inherently wrong with building attacks patiently. Plenty of top sides have done it, and done it well. The worry with Liverpool at the moment is what happens after we’ve done the hard bit and shoved the opposition back into their own shape.

Because once a team is properly set, it too often looks like we’re out of ideas. The ball moves. The defenders shuffle. And the whole thing starts to feel like a training drill everyone’s seen before.

Slow is fine, toothless isn’t

I always think back to Manchester City under Guardiola a few years ago. They could be slow in the build as well, almost lulling the game into their rhythm. Some people found it dull. To be fair, I didn’t. It was controlled, but it was also busy.

That’s the key bit: once City had you pinned, there were runners everywhere. Little darts in behind. Quick combinations. Someone gambling on a pass that might not be on every time, but it made you defend honestly. Around the box it was high energy, lots of movement, and it felt like a goal was coming.

The horseshoe: safe passes, no panic

With Liverpool, the “pin” doesn’t currently lead to that same sense of danger. We end up in a horseshoe, swinging it side to side while the opposition block just slides across in unison. There’s a lack of runners in behind, a lack of risky balls, and honestly a lack of proper options that force mistakes.

And if you’re an opponent, why would you come out? If you can get into your shape and stay there, you’re half way to the game plan. The longer we let teams get comfortable, the easier it is for them to feel the rhythm of our attacks and deal with it.

Slot needs a breaking-teams-down gear

Arne Slot showing signs of wanting more control is fine by me. I can see the direction, even if it’s not fully there yet. But control on its own doesn’t score you goals against a settled defence. You need the second phase: the movement, the tempo change, the pass that splits a line, the run that drags a centre-half somewhere he doesn’t want to go.

Yes, there are new faces up top and that takes time. But you still want to see at least one moment that says, “Right, that’s the mechanism, that’s how we’ll crack these teams.” At the minute, too many of the goals feel like they’re coming when the game opens up in transition, not when we’ve got an opponent locked in.

I’m not writing Slot off. Far from it. I just need to see that extra gear develop, because without it, slow controlled build-up is just slow. And the Premier League won’t give you much joy if you let organised defences have a field day every week.

Written by Davey Sulls: 26 December 2025

Tags: tactics efl transfers