Liverpool have lost just one of their last 14 games. They are fourth in the Champions League standings, level on points with Real Madrid and above Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona. They have beaten Inter Milan and Marseille on the last two European nights.
But that’s not all. There is no way they are 14 points behind when they are sixth in the Premier League. A long unbeaten run ends at Bournemouth on Saturday. This has prompted a chorus of criticism: what Arne Slaughter calls “external noise.” Most of it is concentrated around him. A title-winning manager might lose the support of some Liverpool fans; at times like this it certainly seems that way. If part of the problem was that too many of those 13 unbeaten games were actually draws, leading to frustration, then Slaughter realized that if victory brought respite, then frustration would spark another outcry. That in itself speaks volumes. The soundtrack could reflect the dissatisfaction with him.
As pressure mounts on Arne Slott, the stakes for Liverpool to finish the season successfully have never been higher (Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
“I think with where we are in the league it’s really hard to silence the noise from the outside, so even if we win a few games, every loss or every disappointing result makes the noise come back again,” he said. “If you start the season like we did, that’s what you can expect; not to start but to suffer so many losses at some point. So it’s impossible to cut through the noise at a club like this if you’re not fighting for the league.”
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Not Liverpool. Slott pointed out that Liverpool have only won the title twice in thirty years; as is his custom, he tried to counteract claims they spent £450m last summer by saying they brought in £300m. His other numbers, however, have withstood less scrutiny.
He believes Liverpool face competition on multiple fronts and has turned his attention to last season’s Champions League campaign. “It’s not going to be a popular opinion, but I’ll tell you this: maybe the reason we won the league last season was because we had to play PSG in the last 16,” he said. “Because as you know, they beat us, [then] We have time every week to prepare for games. “
However, when PSG eliminated Liverpool, they were already 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League with nine games remaining; only a complete collapse could prevent them from becoming champions.
Liverpool’s defeat to Bournemouth at the weekend left them sixth in the Premier League (Action picture via Reuters)
But it can represent part of the picture for which managers are scrambling for explanations. If league tables never lied, some would consider Liverpool the fourth best team in Europe, while others would argue they are sixth in England. Slot suggests that one is a consequence of the other. “I think the biggest difficulty we face is that we have to play in two leagues at the same time, which by the way is what we want,” he said. “But we’ve lost too many times after Champions League games. A lot of away games.” In fact, Liverpool lost four of their last weekend games in Europe, each of them away from home.
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Slott was exhausted in the final minutes at Bournemouth. They seemed perpetually stretched thin, with expensive makeovers that left their roster too small and then further shrunk by injuries. “Almost always the same guys have to play,” Slaughter said. He is left with just one available centre-back against Qarabag on Wednesday, captain Virgil van Dijk. Win this game and Liverpool will have at least two midweek breaks in February and an immediate place in the last sixteen.
The stakes for the rest of their season are pretty high. Champions League qualification is of huge financial importance; there is also the question of whether Slott can regain the trust of the angry elements of the fanbase and retain the trust of the quieter ones on the boardroom.
Arne Slott says Liverpool are relying on the same small group of players due to injuries (AFP via Getty Images)
All of this may depend on whether Liverpool can find a formula. “I think in both areas. We’re a very, very, very, very good team,” Slaughter said. “But there’s a complete imbalance between the number of times we’ve gotten to promising positions and the number of times other teams have gotten there. But there’s no imbalance in goals, it’s a very bad cocktail. If we can only improve in one area, then it might be an acceptable season, but that’s it. If we don’t improve in both areas, there’s going to be a lot of noise throughout the season.”
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But what is acceptable? Five months ago, it might have involved retaining the title, or at least coming close to it. Now that’s impossible; the same goes for the Carabao Cup. The Champions League and FA Cup are the only chances to win trophies. Sixth in the Premier League seems unacceptable.
“I have my own opinion about what is acceptable, but I’m not going to share it,” Slaughter said. However, the noise from the outside will reveal a wider view of the world. Internal noise in the corridors of power may be quieter, but it’s also more severe.
