Boos, no intensity and no identity – what is Slot’s Liverpool?Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Rio Ngumoha was replaced in the 67th minute by Alexander IsakPublished5 minutes agoIf Arne Slot has not realised already, then he needs to realise very quickly that the Anfield crowd demands energy and a certain intensity from its side.Far too often at home this season, Liverpool have lacked a spark – something that the crowd can feed off – and kill the opposition off when they take the lead.
When they went in front early against a Chelsea side that had lost their last six Premier League games, Slot’s side should have used that as the moment to dominate the match and secure an important win.
Instead, they allowed Calum McFarlane’s out-of-form side a way back into the game.
“The adjustment we made at half-time helped us be the more dominant team in the second half. We were twice close,” claimed Slot.
“So it is not fair to me to say I ever tell my players to back off and not press. If it did look like that, it was never the intention,” he added.
Enzo Fernandez’s equaliser for Chelsea means Liverpool have now dropped nine points from winning positions in Premier League home games this season, their most at Anfield since 2015-16, when Jurgen Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers as the manager.
“Our identity is intensity” was the phrase coined by Pep Lijnders when he was Liverpool’s assistant manager under Klopp.
Slot’s brief was always to do things his own way and never to be like Klopp but his side has lacked any identity this season and have next to no intensity.
“I thought Liverpool actually started quite well, got the goal, and then from there Chelsea were the better team. They caused Liverpool big problems, especially Marc Cucurella running behind,” reported Wayne Rooney on Match of the Day.
“The crowd were obviously a bit edgy, which you very rarely get from Liverpool fans. It comes from not having the season they hoped for, and after spending a lot of money,” added Rooney.
Not for the first time this season, there were loud boos at full-time even though Liverpool had not lost the game. Discontent online is one thing, but it is becoming clearer that even the match-going fans are getting frustrated
“That’s probably got something to do with us not winning, ” Slot told TNT Sports. “It completely makes sense people are disappointed if Liverpool don’t win.”
Midfielder Ryan Gravenberch added: “To be honest, we need them behind us. OK we didn’t win, but I don’t really think we deserved this [reaction].
“The fans have to be behind us for the full 90 minutes because when they were behind us in the second half, we were pressing really well. We need them. Hopefully they wouldn’t do it again in the next two games.”
Asked later in his post-match press conference how the boos felt, Slot struggled to find the right words in English but reported: “I would love to show them [the fans] something else but at this moment we are not able to.
“We are able to be a dominant team and have more of the ball and I want to give them much more to be positive about and happy about and I am 100% sure the team wants the same.”
