The inconsistent form of Liverpool this campaign is leading fans to ponder what the team can accomplish for the remainder of the season…
SUNDERLAND was another Anfield disappointment.
Granted, Liverpool were left rueing another game where the opposition benefited from luck in front of goal, but at fulltime frustration prevailed.
Frustration with passivity and not enough urgency. Frustration that they can come and be allowed to fancy it.
I didn’t like our starting XI. The visitors had an extra day’s rest and still made more changes than us. I thought we’d be leggy, and we were.
We’ve had conversations around the fitness of Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Alexis Mac Allister all season, yet they were all made to go again.
You now wonder where Hugo Ekitike’s game comes from or where any right-sided threat develops in a side without Mohamed Salah.
For me, it was the first time Arne Slot picked a team with a whiff of self-preservation present.
He could point at them winning a league match three days prior and not face questions about changing a winning formula if it went wrong.
They lost duels (again). They were outdone on pressures and counter-pressures. They had lots of the ball but nothing felt like it had any immediacy until the 85th minute.
We’re now in a complete state of purposelessness. We exist game-to-game, foraging for hope and signs of recovery.
This isn’t completely alien, but we’re more used to the concept of dropped points in August being terminal than arriving in December without purpose or idea about what’s possible this season.
The question of what Liverpool are now playing for has been elusive while we deal with the shock and disbelief of form since October.
There’s a belief from some that we’re still title challengers. That with every point gained you look at Arsenal and think, ‘maybe’.
That well and truly died after the Manchester City drubbing. I’ve got no interest in the top two because it feels unattainable.
What’s undeniable is that there’s two, potentially three Champions League places up for grabs.
Just six points separate Aston Villa in third and Everton in tenth. Liverpool lie ninth on 22, if like me you haven’t bothered looking until now.
This will have to take some form of consistent shape in the New Year. Villa are still performing at under two points per game (1.92) and are massively over performing on expected points (15.72/27).
Liverpool needs Champions League football. You would imagine they have spent under the assumption of attaining it. It’s surely a key KPI for any decision on Slot when eventually faced.
The five point swing to Villa can be bridged, but consistency is absent. Results will have to improve before others seize the opportunity that’s present for everyone domestically this season.
In addition, the Champions League table makes for nervous reading.
Liverpool sit 13th on nine points with trips to Inter Milan and Marseille on the horizon. There’s also the home fixture against Quarabag.
A 16 point finish is potentially enough to squeeze a top eight place. But looking at those two away fixtures, it feels a tall order.
If Liverpool can muster 13 points after eight games, it would probably be enough for a knockout place. This would allow for a defeat in one of the next three, probably Inter, but it means taking something from Marseille is essential.
Ironically, 13 points is how many Paris Saint-Germain ended last year’s table on.
Encouragement that Liverpool can perform a similar Parisian identity swap in 2026 is dwindling quicker than a promising Reds’ counter-attack.
We need to start having a hard look at what’s salvageable this season. This cannot be allowed to drift continuously into nothingness.
Perhaps a January transfer boost could change some of the mood. What would help more is finding ways to remain unbeaten from now until then.
Leeds United tomorrow. They’ll throw everything at us, first 30. Liverpool need to show purpose.
It might not be what we want, but there’s still plenty to play for this season.
