Results matter, obviously. You never apologise for winning in this league, especially with the table always ready to punish any wobble. But it’s hard to shake the feeling that Liverpool are getting through games rather than taking control of them, and that’s where the frustration comes from.
The big worry for me is that the performances aren’t matching the scoreboard. You can tell when a side is building something, even if the goals are scruffy. This doesn’t quite feel like that. It feels like the same uneasy pattern we’ve seen before: we win, everyone breathes out, then the next match you’re watching it thinking, “Why does this still look so hard?”
When the game state doesn’t match the comfort level
Take the Spurs match mentioned. Whatever you think of Spurs on the day, being pinned back by nine men is the sort of thing that sticks in the mind because it’s not supposed to happen to a side with Liverpool’s ambition. Even if you survive it, it leaves a mark. It doesn’t scream control, it screams vulnerability.
And control is the whole point. When you’ve got the lead and the opposition are down to a reduced number, you want calm possession, sensible distances between the lines, and the ball living in their half. If you’re defending your own box instead, you start asking awkward questions about structure and decision-making.
The midfield balance still looks like a problem
The phrase “midfield defensive enforcer” can mean a few things, but the point lands: Liverpool can look a bit soft through the middle in the moments that decide matches. Not in a “no one cares” way, more in a “we’re just a half-step late” way. That’s often enough for teams to run off you, win second balls, and turn a simple phase into a scramble.
When the midfield can’t shut the door, everything else gets stretched. The centre-backs get dragged into decisions they’d rather not make. The full-backs have to judge whether to be brave or stay home. The forwards end up chasing backwards instead of setting the tone.
Slot’s ideas versus what this squad naturally does
This is where it gets a bit knotty. Arne Slot clearly has a way he wants it played, and there’s nothing wrong with a coach having principles. But it can also be true that the current attack isn’t quite suited to executing those ideas week after week, especially if the build-up and the rest defence aren’t secure.
The full-backs getting “hamstrung” is a good way of putting it. If they’re told to take up certain positions, or they’re forced into cautious ones because the midfield isn’t protecting transitions, you lose one of Liverpool’s most natural attacking outlets. Then the knock-on effect is predictable: fewer clean entries into the final third, more broken attacks, and a defence that looks exposed far too often.
Top four as a target is realistic talk, and you take the points however they come. But supporters are allowed to look beyond the result and ask for a performance that actually convinces. At the moment, it’s fair to say the conviction isn’t there.
Related Articles
About Liverpool News Views
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.
