It’s worth asking the question properly, because “poor performance” gets thrown around like it’s self-explanatory. Were Liverpool genuinely outplayed, or are we just annoyed we’re not steamrolling sides every week? There’s a big difference between being below-par and simply being in a league where every match is a grind.
On the unbeaten run, the feeling for many has been that Liverpool have looked the better side more often than not, and that losing those games would have felt harsh. That matters. It tells you the baseline is improving even if the scoreline isn’t always giving you fireworks.
Not blowing teams away isn’t a crime
Everyone wants the version of Liverpool that turns up and makes it look easy. Four-nil at half-time, game dead, onto the next one. But how often are you seeing that in the Premier League full stop? Most matches feel like they’re played in traffic, with two banks of bodies and about three yards to work in.
And that’s why it feels unfair to demand we go from a poor spell to suddenly annihilating teams on command. Momentum in this league doesn’t work like that. You don’t flick a switch and get your best football every week, especially when opponents are set up to deny you space first and ask questions later.
The small fixes are the real story
The more encouraging bit is the detail. Getting wide players in behind a low block more often. Being less daft in transition, giving away fewer of those “one pass and we’re open” moments. Tightening the midfield spacing so it isn’t a straight run at the back line. Looking a bit more switched on at set pieces.
None of that is glamorous, but it’s usually where better results come from. You don’t build your way back by chasing perfection, you build it by stopping the cheap goals and making the opposition work for everything.
Maybe the gap is in our heads
The constant tension is between what we think this squad “should” be and what it can realistically deliver from one weekend to the next. We carry an image of Liverpool that’s all tempo, chaos, chances, and it clashes with the reality of an unforgiving league where even technical attacking sides get dragged into scrappy patterns.
That doesn’t mean supporters should lower standards and clap along to mediocrity. It just means it’s possible to acknowledge progress without pretending it’s the finished product. And it’s probably why the idea of an instant fix, just parachuting in a new manager and watching it all click overnight, feels a bit misguided. Football rarely rewards impatience.
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Liverpool News Views offers daily Liverpool coverage including match reaction, transfer analysis, EFL context, tactical breakdowns and opinion-led articles written by supporters for supporters.
