Liverpool FC is high up in the Premier League table, but has been struggling to make progress since the turn of the year. According to coach Arne Slot, the reasons for this have been evident throughout the season and are also related to a lack of depth in the offense.
Liverpool FC has not been beaten in the Premier League for eight games and, after a difficult spell in the season, is now back in fourth place in the top flight of English soccer. However, because the two most recent games at the start of the new year both ended in draws, LFC missed the opportunity to pull further ahead of pursuers such as Manchester United and Chelsea FC, and the dramatic 2-2 draw at Fulham FC was another minor setback.
What was particularly frustrating was that Liverpool had dominated the game for long periods and, despite trailing in the first half, had even turned the game around in the fourth minute of stoppage time. The fact that LFC then conceded an equalizer three minutes later with a lucky shot from Harrison Reed mercilessly exposes a familiar problem this season.
Late setbacks are not uncommon
This is not the first time that the Reds have dropped points deep into stoppage time or just before. Against Leeds United in early December, the 3-3 equalizer came in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Liverpool even suffered defeats against Brentford on matchday 9, Chelsea on matchday 7, and Crystal Palace on matchday 6. No wonder, then, that coach Arne Slot was annoyed after the game. “When you’re leading 2-1 in stoppage time and then concede a goal to make it 2-2, we’re obviously disappointed with the result. We’ve lost so many points that way. Of course it’s frustrating,“ said the 47-year-old after the game, adding later in the press conference: ”We often see the other team score an unexpected goal in extra time, which is then a surprise.”
Nevertheless, the Dutchman emphasizes that the focus should be less on his team’s defensive performance – instead, they “defended the penalty area very well” – and more on Reed’s Sunday shot, which he nailed perfectly into the corner from just under 20 meters. “You have to give credit to that incredible shot, because how likely is it that a ball from there will go in? I don’t think very likely.”
And one thing is certain: Liverpool didn’t create many chances to make the game more decisive against a compact opponent for a long time anyway. Florian Wirtz’s second goal of the season to make it 1-1 was more of a game opener.
Liverpool running out of strikers
Slot also sees one explanation for this in the lack of offensive punch “against the opponent’s 5-4-1,” which they could only attack with one striker. “I don’t know if you can expect us to create chance after chance.” The fact that Frederico Chiesa was the only offensive player who could be brought on from the bench—Hugo Ekitiké had withdrawn shortly before due to thigh problems and Alexander Isak is still out for a long time after breaking his left leg—only exacerbated these problems.
The coach also commented on this and hopes that Ekitiké’s injury is only a “minor muscle reaction.” After all, this is the first time in his life that he has played “80 or 90 minutes in every single game” at such short intervals. Wirtz had a similar experience last week, but he has been in the starting lineup for every game recently.
However, the Reds cannot afford to rest on their laurels, as their next big game is already coming up this Thursday (9 p.m.) against league leaders FC Arsenal. Slot was unable to say whether Ekitiké would be fit to play again by then.
