There’s a strange thing that happens around Liverpool performances sometimes: we can spend a first half doing plenty right, and the reaction still lands on “yeah, but…” like it somehow doesn’t count. Not “what can we improve?”, which is fair enough, but outright refusal to acknowledge what’s working.
Breaking down a packed box isn’t meant to look pretty
When a side drops into a packed box, it’s rarely going to feel like end-to-end fireworks. It becomes a job of solving problems: different angles, different patterns, moving defenders, forcing little errors, recycling possession and going again. If you’re trying different routes to goal and you’re not getting picked off in transition every time, that’s already half the battle.
And to be fair, seeing Liverpool probe and adjust rather than just thump the same ball into the same space is a positive in itself. It’s not always going to be one constant siege from the first minute to the last. That’s not how Premier League games work, especially when opponents arrive with a clear plan to sit in and make it messy.
Press, duels, and the unglamorous stuff
What often gets missed in the post-match noise is the graft. If the press is coordinated, if players are jumping at the right moments rather than going one by one, you can feel the difference. It’s the sort of thing you notice in the stands even if it doesn’t create an instant highlight.
Same with duels and 50-50s. Win enough of them and you keep attacks alive, you stop counters at source, you keep the opposition defending for longer spells. That’s not luck. It’s work. It’s attitude. It’s also structure, because being “up for it” only takes you so far if the distances and cover aren’t right.
Give credit where it’s due, including the manager
I’ve got no issue with criticism when Liverpool are flat or sloppy. That comes with the territory. But there has to be balance. If the team are working hard on both sides of the ball, if they’re finding solutions against a deep block, and if key players are turning up in the areas you’d want them in, then that deserves praise.
What does my head in is the double standard: other teams score and it’s “organisation” and “players knowing their jobs”, but Liverpool score and it’s treated like a fluke. At some point you’re not analysing the match anymore, you’re just arguing with the idea of Arne Slot, and it skews everything you’re watching.
Truth is, you can ask for more and still recognise what’s right in front of you. That’s the reasonable middle ground. Not perfection, just progress and good habits showing up on the pitch.
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