Liverpool put in arguably their worst performance of the Premier League season to draw 0-0 against Leeds United on New Year’s Day.
Some supporters may point out that the Reds’ 3-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest was far worse, but in terms of the uninspiring nature of the display, we’d argue that this might even top it.
Liverpool are just such a tough watch at the moment. They may now be unbeaten in eight matches, but they are not improving one little bit.
mail iconJoin our newsletter for news & smart analysis.
Who was the most disappointing performer against Leeds?
Shocking display all round
Florian Wirtz during Liverpool v Leeds United - Premier League
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
Much of that feels to be down to Arne Slot. The Liverpool head coach has steadied the ship, but in doing so he has sacrificed his team’s attacking verve. They look a shadow of their former selves.
Sleepwalking through games as they attempt to string attacks together, Liverpool feel like a team without identity. That has to come back to the coach. There have been signs that Slot has been slowly losing the plot in recent months, but he did something on Thursday which completely solidified that notion.
Liverpool’s revolving right-back door has to stop
Perhaps the biggest criticism of Liverpool this season – besides their abject failure to score from or defend set-pieces – has been the utter lack of a clear style of play.
Part of the problem in that respect has been Slot’s substitutions. If Liverpool are not winning around the 65/70 minute mark, he will lose any kind of tactical structure and simply throw whoever is on the bench onto the pitch.
Arne Slot watches on during Liverpool's Premier League match against Leeds United at Anfield.
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
READ MORE: Jamie Carragher has nailed why Liverpool are so frustrating to watch this season during Leeds draw
This has led to players featuring out of position or in multiple different roles during games. That is not conducive to winning matches.
On Thursday, Slot’s tinkering reached a new nadir as he played three different right-backs during the draw with Leeds.
Conor Bradley started in the role, but was withdrawn for Federico Chiesa with 10 minutes left to play. Jeremie Frimpong then moved to right-back before being taken off for Rio Ngumoha five minutes later.
Tell us how you REALLY feel about Arne Slot after Liverpool’s performance against Leeds United 😵💫
Arne Slot watches on during Liverpool's Premier League match against Leeds United at Anfield.
Credit: Jan Kruger/Getty Images
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
The 17-year-old’s introduction meant Liverpool’s third right-back of the evening, Dominik Szoboszlai was then installed. Mixing and matching to such an extent – with two players arguably out of position – is not a good sign that Slot has a handle on how to fix this.
Arne Slot still has no idea how to use his players
While a change of personnel in a specific position does not always have to be the sign of something bad during a football match, this has been happening far too often at Liverpool this season.
The chopping and changing is a sign of a manager who simply does not know how to get the best out of his players.
There should be some sympathy for Slot in that he is still in the first stages of working with some of the Liverpool squad, and has had to contend with plenty of unavailability this season.
But sympathy starts to run out when he keeps trying the same thing over and over, with the same dismal result each and every time.
Slot absolutely must find his best XI and stick with it as much as possible during the second half of the campaign. Otherwise he is simply going to continue looking completely out of ideas.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox