Liverpool supporters made their feelings known loud and clear when the final whistle sounded on Saturday’s limp 1-1 draw against Burnley.
Having watched their team wilt against relegation candidates once again, fans audibly booed confirmation of a fourth successive Premier League stalemate.
This one was the worst yet, with 19th-placed Burnley coming from behind to deservedly snatch a point at Anfield.
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Surely Arne Slot is living on borrowed time, when will Liverpool pull the trigger?
No wins against newly-promoted Premier League sides for the first time ever…
Arne Slot reacts during Liverpool's Premier League match against Burnley at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images/Oli Scarf/AFP)
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Oli Scarf/AFP
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The result meant Liverpool have failed to beat a newly-promoted team on home turf for the first time in Premier League history. That is not good enough.
The three draws – combined with a shocking 3-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest – have meant that Anfield’s long-established aura is coming under real threat. Teams no longer come to Merseyside fearing a heavy beating, instead knowing that they have a real chance of getting something. The blame for this turnaround lies squarely at the feet of Arne Slot, and it is something fans should not forgive him.
Arne Slot has made Anfield just another stadium
Liverpool barely lost a Premier League home game under Jurgen Klopp. Aside from a record of six straight defeats in an empty stadium in 2020/21, the Reds had an exemplary home record, regularly going full seasons unbeaten.
There was the odd surprise loss and frustrating draw, but by and large if Liverpool were playing at home, a win was almost guaranteed.
Scott Parker clenches his fist towards the Burnley fans after their Premier League match against Liverpool at Anfield
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
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That has changed this season, with Forest, Burnley, Leeds and Sunderland all coming to Anfield and getting something. Manchester United also beat Liverpool in L4 and that is before you even mention the Champions League mauling at the hands of PSV Eindhoven or the embarrassing Carabao Cup collapse against Crystal Palace.
Anfield has clearly lost its fear factor, and while that can happen when a team is going through a rough season, the manner in which things have unravelled is solely down to Slot.
Sometimes football teams lose games, even ones they should really win, but if Liverpool lost under Klopp, at least they generally tended to go down while playing a fast, attractive style of play. Slot’s teams are not only failing to pick up results, but they are doing it while boring their supporters to tears.
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Xabi Alonso pictured during Real Madrid's La Liga match against Real Betis at the Bernabeu (Credit: Getty Images/Alberto Gardin/NurPhoto).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Alberto Gardin/NurPhoto
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Teams know they can now park up at Anfield and simply sit off Liverpool knowing they lack the tools to really hurt them. The ponderous and fearful approach taken by the home team inevitably gets supporters frustrated, leading to a bad atmosphere filtering onto the pitch. Away teams are picking up on this more and more and are taking home results which at one stage would have seemed impossible.
Only one way to change Anfield fortunes
Slot’s crime of turning Anfield into a place for dull, soulless football and big results for away sides is surely his biggest while in charge at Liverpool.
Sadly, the Dutchman’s need to stabilise results has led to a season of Liverpool’s attacking values being compromised. While understandable to a degree, it is not acceptable.
The Liverpool owners will know that this cannot go on indefinitely, and when supporters begin booing there is rarely a way back for a manager.
Something could change overnight, and Slot and his players could remember who they are and where they are playing, but there has been little sign of that happening as the Reds lurch from poor result to poor result.
Now, the only real avenue open to those in charge is to put Slot out of his misery and bring a new man in, someone unburdened by the alarming downturn this season. Anfield will surely rise again, but not while things in the dugout remain the same.
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