I get the point about patience, I really do. But it’s hard not to look at Liverpool in two completely different snapshots and come to the same conclusion: context matters, and so does timing.

When Kenny took over from Roy, it wasn’t just a team in poor form. It felt like the whole club was carrying a weight. Confidence was shot, the mood was toxic, and we looked far closer to getting dragged into a scrap at the wrong end than we did anything resembling Europe. In that situation, the managerial change was a win-win because it immediately lifted the place. The football didn’t have to become perfect overnight. It just had to feel like Liverpool again, and it did.

This isn’t 2011 Liverpool anymore

Fast forward to now and it’s a different world. We’ve had a brilliant spell over the last several years, we’ve been back mixing it with the very best, and the baseline expectation has shifted. Liverpool aren’t supposed to be clinging on, hoping the vibe improves. We’re supposed to be setting the pace, or at least snapping at the heels of whoever is.

That’s why the current worry feels sharper. It’s not the odd bad result or a sticky month. It’s the sense that, under Arne Slot at present, we look miles away from being a side that genuinely challenges at the top end. You can accept a transition, but you still want to see the direction of travel. You still want to feel the shape of a team coming together, not drifting.

The Champions League line in the sand

Missing the Champions League isn’t always catastrophic, but it is the kind of thing that can knock you back. It changes the summer. It changes the pull. It changes the margins you’re working with. And Liverpool, for all our status, still operate in a world where being at Europe’s top table helps you keep pace.

The frustrating bit is you can already see what the rivals will do. Arsenal, City, Chelsea and Manchester United won’t sit still, regardless of who finishes where. They’ll spend, they’ll refresh, they’ll keep chasing the next level, and they’ll sell the project to players on reputation and resources. If we’re not in the Champions League, we’re trying to compete with one hand tied behind our back.

Short-term pain vs long-term drift

I’ve changed my thinking lately too. I’m usually wary of hitting the big red button too early, because chaos helps nobody. But there’s a difference between giving something time and letting a season slide into a place that costs you two or three years of momentum.

People will disagree, and fair enough. That’s football. But for me, this isn’t about nostalgia for what we were or demanding perfection every week. It’s simply recognising where Liverpool are meant to be now, and what it costs when you fall short of it.

Written by Bristol_Red: 26 January 2026

Tags: europe efl tactics