Liverpool are now unbeaten in seven games in all competitions but they are in a similar position to those ahead of them in the Premier League table
The final whistle blew on a tense 2-1 victory and the relief was palpable. And it didn’t take long for the conversation among supporters streaming out of the stadium, along with those who had been following from home, to reach the same consensus.
“We can’t keep on winning like this,” was the gist of the discourse. “It cannot realistically continue.”
Except it wasn’t Liverpool fans exclusively expressing such views. In a strange quirk, all four of the Premier League’s current leading terms earned narrow victories by the same scoreline that, amid the undoubted celebration of three points, prompted concern.
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Arsenal needed an own goal and a late David Raya save to see off Brighton. Manchester City threw away a lead at Nottingham Forest before scoring in the closing stages. And Aston Villa came from behind at Chelsea to extend their remarkable run to seven successive league wins by a single-goal margin.
It was a reminder the only priority during the busiest and most energy-sapping period of the season is a victory which, in the case of Arne Slot’s side, was sufficient to move them back into the top four and a Champions League qualification berth for the first time since early November, three points ahead of fifth-placed Chelsea.
Nevertheless, those few supporters who still regard Liverpool as title contenders are perhaps reading too much into the results rather than the performances. Even then, seven points adrift of third-placed Aston Villa and 10 behind leaders Arsenal – and still needing to visit both clubs – suggests it would take a minor miracle for the championship to be retained.
Instead, the immediate objective will be to maintain the momentum of the unbeaten Premier League run that was extended to six games with the slender triumph over rock-bottom Wolves at the weekend.
It won’t be easy, given over the next 11 days the Reds entertain in-form Leeds United before trips to the capital to take on Fulham and then title favourites Arsenal.
And while a shift in approach from Slot has made Liverpool more robust, it has come at the expense of some of the more expansive elements to their game. It isn’t always a pretty watch.
Slot’s side are still trying to work out the balance between controlling a game and dropping the tempo to such a degree it leaves them susceptible to the opponent ramping up the intensity, as was the case in the second half on Saturday and during the closing stages at Tottenham Hotspur the previous weekend.
Dead-ball situations also remain a concern. Football’s latest buzz phrase – set-piece balance – sees Liverpool languishing on minus nine, their worst tally ever during a Premier League season.
But there are some reasons for positivity, with a number of the summer signings such as Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong now showing signs of why they were brought to the club.
The evolution of Slot’s Liverpool has not been painless and still requires more than a few tweaks. Interesting, then, to discover how the Reds boss shuffles his pack in areas where he now has a number of options.
Frimpong and Conor Bradley are strong right-back options, with the former also an alternative further upfield. The return of Cody Gakpo also offers a choice on the left wing and, with Alexander Isak sidelined for several months, in a central position to ease the burden on Hugo Ekitike, albeit with Slot having long regarded his fellow Dutchman as a winger.
Finding the right combination in midfield has been an issue for much of the campaign, and it will be intriguing to discover how the Reds boss utilises Dominik Szoboszlai and the in-form Wirtz. Alexis Mac Allister, who has been moved out of a number six role to number 10, would appear most at risk.
It is also impossible to ignore Wirtz’s improvement has been integral to Liverpool’s improved results and has coincided with Mohamed Salah failing to start any of the seven games in which the Reds have been unbeaten due to being first benched, then dropped and now on international duty.
Liverpool’s players have long been attuned to seeking out Salah at the first available opportunity and, while there is room for improvement in regard involving Wirtz more readily, now they are looking to the Germany international to create. The Reds can easily include both in the starting line-up, but only one can be the main man. Slot must ultimately decide who.
That, though, is an issue the Reds boss can kick down the road for a few weeks at least. The immediate concern is now ensuring performances match the increasingly encouraging results – with more difficult fixtures now on the horizon.
