Two-Faced Liverpool

Arne Slot's players aren't reading the same script.

So I feel like my position on Arne Slot has shifted over the past few weeks. I like to think I’ve been one of his most vocal supporters throughout the campaign, but some things I’ve witnessed lately have concerned me.

For the most part, I’ve sat in the camp of arguing that Slot has been dealt a pretty impossible hand by those above him, with variance also having quite an impact considering the long-term injuries suffered by Alexander Isak, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley in particular.

I want to be clear that I still stand by those words, and that’s why I’ve maintained — despite outside noise — that Slot will prove to be just fine once the landscape normalises next season.

But I’m no longer sure we’re in a position to try out that experiment. The risk of persisting might be too great.

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So here’s the thing with football. It’s played by humans. And that’s annoying because humans are emotional creatures. Feelings are pretty important. Morale exists. And the players at Anfield seem to have been feeling the emotion of misery for a bit too long.

Jürgen Klopp had sticky periods during his time in charge of Liverpool, but no player ever doubted whether he was the right man, or whether he was good enough for the job.

So almost regardless of results, Klopp maintained a degree of authority over his squad. There was an awareness within the group that his tactics must be fine, and most supporters would rather sell the whole team before losing the man in the dugout.

Whether we like it or not, belief has quite an influence in this sport. And Klopp’s status as one of the very best around — perhaps the only man capable of competing against Pep Guardiola — really helped him navigate those dark days.

Indeed, it was former Reds boss Gérard Houllier who once said: “You need to convince your players of the right things to do. If you try to convince the player but you never win a game, you don’t last long.”

Now, without wanting to come across as dramatic on the back of a dismal 4-0 loss, I fear we might be close to the edge when it comes to that sort of thing in relation to Slot. The idea of losing the dressing room.

We’ve witnessed some evidence in recent weeks to suggest the players are lacking belief in what they’re being asked to do. Lacking belief in their collective power to change matches. Lacking belief in the cause behind their efforts.

Earlier in the season, Slot did improve things, albeit marginally. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. But now, Liverpool have won just two of their last seven matches, despite the Dutchman kinda having tried everything to stop the rot.

The situation is deteriorating in a similar fashion to October, with the Reds simply too easy to play against with nowhere near enough defensive togetherness as a unit. As it stands, Liverpool are trending in the wrong direction. Pay attention to the purple line.

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The defensive side of the conversation is my biggest concern at the moment, because lots of the offensive stuff stems from relationships, individual quality and the absence of complementary profiles.

Without the ball, Liverpool look so detached. I said on my podcast earlier this week — listen here — that it’s kinda like watching two teams at once sometimes. A group of three or four players who think it’s on them to create and walk, with the rest of the team defending 50 yards deeper. Two different scripts.

I’m getting Paris Saint-Germain vibes when Lionel Messi was signed to play alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. Current Real Madrid with Vinícius Júnior. Manchester United under Ole Gunnar Solskjær when the Norwegian allowed Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial to cheat, while everyone else got covered in mud.

That isn’t Liverpool, and against any half-decent side, that attitude is guaranteed to result in goals for the opposition. The massive question is where such luxury behaviour has emerged from.

Has Slot been too lenient across the board during his time at Anfield? Have his players essentially stopped listening or believing that it’s worth putting in the grind? Has Richard Hughes signed too many artists? Regardless, it’s a terrible look and one that doesn’t reflect well on the guy responsible for organisation.

Now, it’s worth noting that I still think Liverpool are extremely lightweight up top. There’s no industry at all, all style. Hugo Ekitike and Mohamed Salah in particular are used to being carried on the defensive end.

You’d put Florian Wirtz in the same boat based on his work around City’s second goal over the weekend. Rio Ngumoha is a teenager. And people know what I think of Cody Gakpo, the world’s nicest man. I’d love to build from the back against all of them.

Players with those habits aren’t helping the situation. But even still, it’s been hard to watch Liverpool at times in recent weeks. The lack of interest in making a recovery run to get behind the ball. The lack of interest in regaining possession by putting your foot where it might get kicked. I’m not into it.

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To capture exactly what I’m talking about, I’ve put together the below compilation. I’d recommend watching the clips a few times. Watch who runs back, and who doesn’t. Watch who pretends to close down. Look at how the defensive line moves — or doesn’t move — in reference to the front line.

Now, as much as you think the players might be more problematic than Slot — and I’ve been one of those guys all season — the collective message comes from the manager. There’s no excuse for not organising your boys.

Your players might be terrible. But at the very least, they should be behaving in sync. They should be adhering to a common goal. A blueprint. If they aren’t, it’s either because the plan isn’t clear enough, or they’ve stopped listening.

Welcome to the latest chapter of Liverpool’s 2025/26 campaign. If you’re Slot, I’d argue it’s potentially the most damning yet.

Who have we got next? Oh, the champions of Europe.