There’s a version of “being a realist” that basically just means moaning with your hands in your pockets. But a proper realist? That person knows winning matches matters, not just for points, but for mood, belief, and the feel around the place.

And they also know transitions are messy. Liverpool have lived it before. If you take a title-winning side, then remove big chunks of what made it tick, you don’t just click your fingers and carry on like nothing’s happened. That’s before you even get into the way key roles affect the whole system, especially when your build-up and chance creation are tied to certain profiles and habits.

Change isn’t just names, it’s how you play

The point here isn’t to make excuses for everything. It’s to recognise what happens when you lose parts of a team that delivered something as hard as a league title, then ask the next group to reproduce the same level straight away. It rarely works like that.

Even the best sides wobble when you alter the spine, when absences mount, or when form dips become a bit more than a bad afternoon. Supporters feel it too. A couple of wins and suddenly the stadium, the away end, even the chatter online changes tone. That isn’t soft. That’s football.

There have been positives and they matter

If we’re being fair, there are encouraging signs in the mix. Wirtz looks like he’s getting to grips with the Premier League rhythm. Kerkez is improving. Frimpong looked lively off the bench, even if it’s still not totally clear where his best spot is week to week.

There’s optimism in that, because new lads settling isn’t linear. You get a bright cameo, then a quiet spell, then it clicks again. If Mo is away at any point, it’s natural to wonder if Frimpong could end up higher up the pitch. Ekiteke being talked about like a star tells you people can see the raw tools. And Isak getting his first goal is a milestone, even if it’s only one moment.

Squad depth is a lesson you learn the hard way

The frustration in the stands often lands on whoever’s playing, and in this case Konate takes a fair bit of it. The bigger issue raised, though, is what happens when there’s no real alternative and you’re basically locked into selections.

Injuries and missed matches don’t help either. When you’re without players like Mac, Bradley, Alisson, Frimpong and Isak at different points, the margins get thinner. Add in any decline in Mo’s output and suddenly you’re chasing games you’d rather control.

Arsenal are the obvious comparison in one sense: people laughed at them loading up on defenders, but the merit is clear when knocks start piling up. Liverpool know that story too. Lose centre-backs, lose rhythm, lose your season. It’s not new, it’s just unforgiving.

So yes, be realistic. Just make sure it’s the useful kind. The kind that understands context, spots the positives, and still demands better without turning every bump into a meltdown.

Written by D-day: 24 December 2025

Tags: tactics efl transfers squad