Much was made of Liverpool’s intense run of fixtures after the October international break where they would face the likes of Chelsa, Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Real Madrid and Manchester City.
That would be the true test for Arne Slot, it was reckoned, as the Reds had a somewhat gentle start to the season fixture-wise. Slot and his players made light work of that run, winning every match other than the Arsenal one all the way up to last midweek when they came unstuck away at Newcastle.
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That draw brought with it plenty of talking points, not least the tiredness apparent in some of Slot’s stars including midfielder Ryan Gravenberch. Also in the Newcastle game it was obvious that some of Liverpool’s fringe men would struggle to match up to the performance levels of the regulars who were absent.
Ibrahima Konate and Trent Alexander-Arnold didn’t start at St. James’ Park and Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah were exposed. Liverpool managed to stave off another examination of those vulnerabilities at the weekend when their game against Everton was called off but they came to the fore again on Tuesday night.
Ryan Gravenberch, Arne Slot
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Alisson stars in Girona
Facing Girona in the Champions League - a team with only three points from five matches - Liverpool looked leggy and off the pace. They were grateful for a generous penalty which allowed Mohamed Salah to get them out of town with all three points.
“If you ask me about all the six games, I'm really pleased with all the results, I am really pleased with the five [other] games with the way we played. I'm far from pleased about the performance tonight,” Slot said after the game.
Despite the win it was probably Liverpool’s weakest overall performance under Slot, playing into Girona’s hands and being continually tested by the Spaniards.
It was a good thing Alisson was back in action because he was required to make a string of fine saves, ramming home the point why his manager believes he is the best goalkeeper in the world.
“If you play against a team that has such a good idea about football, knows how to bring the ball out from the back – like some other teams we faced recently, like [Manchester] City or Real Madrid – then you need to be so intense if you want to make it difficult for them,” Slot said.
“But if every time you are waiting a few seconds before you press, and if you do press you are so easily outplayed, then this team can cause you a lot of problems.”
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Liverpool's ALARMING lack of options
And while the Reds overcame that massive run of fixtures earlier in the season relatively unscathed, perhaps the run upcoming is going to be even tougher.
Starting with Fulham on Saturday, Liverpool will face FIVE matches in a little over two weeks; four in the Premier League and one in the EFL Cup. And with certain players beginning to tire - and a lack of alternatives available - this Liverpool squad is going to be tested to their very limits.
No Conor Bradley and Kostas Tsimikas means Trent and Andy Robertson will probably have to play every minute of every game on the flanks. No Ibrahima Konate means Gomez or Quansah will play at centre-back even though neither looks up to it right now. And in midfield, Slot best be cautious about getting diminishing returns from his preferred rotating cast of four players.
Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai will share duties between them come hell or high water although there may be some relief from the bench in the form of Harvey Elliott. In any case, Mac Allister won’t play this weekend due to suspension.
Arne Slot Alexis Mac Allister Liverpool 2024-25
© IMAGO - Arne Slot Alexis Mac Allister Liverpool 2024-25
If we make it through December...
Up front the demands on Salah are relentless and it’s hard to see Slot do anything different other than ask the Egyptian to keep delivering.
Meanwhile Federico Chiesa and Diogo Jota have been unfit for a large portion of the season and the goals from Luis Diaz have dried up. Add in the confidence crisis in Darwin Nunez and you’ll see that Liverpool are showing signs of bursting at the seams.
While their form has been exceptional to now, they are running out of energy - and running out of options - right at the busiest juncture of the season. If they can head into the new year top of the pile and well clear of the pack in the league then Slot will truly have overseen a fantastic run of form.
Otherwise, there is a risk that this is the period of the season where the Reds hit the buffers. Slot has reminded his players to step up their efforts - individually and collectively - and he’s going to need high-class, consistent contributions from all fit members of his squad to make it through December.
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