Liverpool suffered an afternoon of frustration against Burnley on Saturday but there were some positive signs for Arne Slot amid the jeers
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot(Image: Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images)
With an unbeaten run extended to 12 games and £116million summer signing Florian Wirtz dazzling, it should at first glance have been an afternoon of celebration at Anfield. But that jeers and not cheers greeted Liverpool’s players at the conclusion spoke volumes.
Indeed, it has become increasingly difficult to make complete sense of what has been happening with the Reds ever since the Premier League trophy was lifted last May.
No surprise, then, the disgruntlement of those who had paid their hard-earned only for Liverpool to waste all their good work by gifting Burnley a way back into the game to return home with an unlikely point.
Nor the dismay of Arne Slot at the final whistle, or the speed at which Virgil van Dijk later greeted the waiting media and his subsequent forthright, blunt comments on the situation.
After the horrors of autumn with nine defeats in 12 games in all competitions, the subsequent run without loss has steadied an extremely uneasy ship that, after dreadful home reverses against Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven in the same week, was in danger of capsizing completely.
But a run of four successive Premier League draws – three of them very avoidable – has highlighted the desire for Liverpool to take the next step from ensuring they don’t lose to giving themselves the best chance of victory.
Saturday was a step in the right direction in that regard, as difficult as it may be to accept particularly for Slot’s detractors, not least certain supporters and observers who have already decided Liverpool need to create more history by sacking a title-winning boss for the first time.
Up against their kryptonite of a low block, the Reds were far more vibrant against Burnley during the first half, with obvious signs their work on the training ground during the week was paying dividends. There was more zip and purpose and clear signs of a plan.
The total of 11 shots on target was their most in a home Premier League game this season, but that it was only the third time in 11 such matches that Liverpool have managed more than four points to where matters have been going awry. Eight of those games came against opponents whose priority was not losing rather than winning.
Much has been made of this being the first time in 45 years Liverpool have failed to beat any of the promoted teams at home in the league. But more recent history points to more relevant difficulties for the Reds.
When they won the title under Jurgen Klopp in 2020, the following season they were beaten at home to Burnley in January to spark a run of six consecutive home defeats. Pandemic football, yes, but still a dire run.
Liverpool needed a header from Alisson Becker on the penultimate weekend to realistically keep alive hopes of Champions League qualification. The following season they came within a whisker of completing an unprecedented quadruple.
That sequence of events underlines the value of momentum. And it’s why Liverpool cannot afford to fritter away the uneasy platform they have built.
The major positive of recent weeks has been the form of the available summer signings. Wirtz now has four goals in his last six games with questions over his suitability in English football having been banished for good, and is undoubtedly a player around whom the team will be built in the near future.
Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez have grown into their respective full-back positions while leading scorer Hugo Ekitike again impressed with the control and run that forced the opening for Wirtz’s strike.
Slot will feel secure in his job for the foreseeable. Klopp’s early notification to Fenway Sports Group of his desire to leave at the end of the 2023/24 season gave the Liverpool hierarchy months to first determine and then recruit his successor, a rare luxury in the modern game. They aren’t going to give up on Slot at the first sign of difficulty, especially midway through a season.
Concentration, then, should now be focused on securing the bare minimum of Champions League qualification. Liverpool’s next five Premier League games appear significantly trickier than their recent encounters, with trips to Bournemouth, Sunderland and Nottingham Forest sandwiching home games against Newcastle United and Manchester City.
In truth, the boos at full-time on Saturday were due to cumulative events and not just the game in isolation. After all, there have been significantly worse performances and results for supporters to fume about.
But those jeers were an audible demonstration of the fact Liverpool must now kick on again if they are to hold off the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle United in the hunt for that final top-four berth.
