We need to park the idea that this is “the team that won the league” like it’s some trump card that ends every debate. Same club, of course. But the side on the pitch is not the same thing, and pretending it is just drags the conversation into nonsense.

Even if you ignore who’s come and gone, you can see with your own eyes that a few key players aren’t at their peak anymore. Add in the sense that Mac Allister has looked like he’s been carrying something, and suddenly it’s not hard to understand why the whole thing feels a bit flatter. Not worse forever, not doomed, just different. And right now, a bit short.

Stop expecting 2020 football from a 2026 squad

Klopp’s best Liverpool had a very particular engine room. It wasn’t just “good midfielders”. It was workhorses who covered grass for fun, protected the back line, and gave the front three a platform to hunt in packs. That blend mattered. It made the press feel inevitable.

The truth is, you don’t just swap names and keep the same output. Mac Allister, Gravenberch and Szoboszlai bring different strengths. They can be excellent footballers, but they’re not carbon copies of Fabinho, Henderson and Wijnaldum in terms of roles, temperament and defensive volume. Same with the attack. Asking any new front line to reproduce Mané, Firmino and Salah as a unit is asking for disappointment.

There’s a physical bill that always comes due

We’ve seen this cycle before. A side runs at full tilt for years, hits something close to perfection, then one season the legs go and it looks like everyone has aged at once. It doesn’t mean the players suddenly don’t care. It usually means the margins have finally caught up.

And if you watched the run-in last season, it wasn’t exactly subtle. The intensity dipped, the sharpness went, and lads looked out on their feet. That’s not a moral failing. That’s what happens when the demands are constant and the squad can’t fully rotate without dropping levels.

Why I feel for Arne Slot

Arne Slot has walked into a job where expectations are still being judged by a version of Liverpool that no longer exists. On top of that, if you believe the squad has been left a bit top-heavy, then it’s not hard to see why certain problems keep reappearing. You can only coach what you’ve got.

Fans are allowed to be frustrated, but we also need to be fair. If the aim is to compete deep into spring, then squad management, minutes, and keeping players fresh becomes as important as any tactical tweak. If only there was a simple switch for that. There isn’t. But it has to be part of the thinking going forward.

Written by D-day: 27 January 2026

Tags: efl tactics rumours