When the noise turns, it gets loud

There are bad results, and then there are moments where you can feel the mood change. For me, the Fulham game has been one of those. Maybe it started bubbling after Leeds, but Fulham seemed to hammer it home: the noise around Arne Slot has turned up to a volume he can’t ignore.

And once that happens at Liverpool, it doesn’t just sit in the background. It becomes the story. You hear it in the questions, you see it in the headlines, and you definitely read it in the comments.

The comments section tells its own story

I used to see proper back-and-forth under Slot’s press conferences. Some people saying, “Give him time,” others already twitchy. That’s normal. This is Liverpool, not a monastery.

But lately it feels different. It’s not a split debate anymore, it’s waves of the same message: enough. Whether you agree with that or not, it matters because it tells you where the temperature is. And when the fanbase starts sounding nigh-on universal, it stops being a passing wobble and starts looking like a judgement.

When the friendlier media starts wobbling

The bigger tell is the shift in the coverage. You don’t need to name names to notice it, because you can see the themes repeating across the usual Liverpool-friendly corners. There’s suddenly far less patience for the “process” talk and far more focus on how it all looks and feels.

When you’re seeing pieces about the style being boring, or interviews where John Aldridge is openly worried for the manager, it’s a sign the protective layer is thinning. And once that goes, the manager is left standing in the full blast of it.

Chance creation and energy: the weekly cross-examination

The truth is, “boring” isn’t just an insult. It’s shorthand for something supporters recognise straight away: lack of tempo, lack of incision, and too many spells where the game feels like it’s happening in front of us rather than because of us.

If the team isn’t creating enough, or the press doesn’t feel like it’s biting, then every match becomes the same post-game conversation. Where’s the spark? Where’s the risk? Where’s the plan when the first pattern gets blocked?

I don’t know if Slot is right on the edge, because Liverpool’s hierarchy usually prefers to back their choice rather than flinch. But if there isn’t a serious shift in energy and creativity, it’s hard to see how this gets pulled back. And even finishing in the top four might not quieten it if the performances still don’t look like a top side.

Written by Davey Sulls: 14 January 2026