Curtis Jones became the 11th different Liverpool player to score in the past five weeks after accusation of 'dull and boring' football
Curtis Jones opened the scoring for Liverpool against Brighton
Curtis Jones opened the scoring for Liverpool against Brighton(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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Liverpool supporters knew it. Their players must surely have felt something similar. And even Arne Slot couldn't really find any argument with the assertion.
"I find it really hard to hear but it's not that I completely disagree," said the Reds boss on being asked about the accusation his team had become 'dull and boring' as they attempted to recover from their horrors of nine defeats in 12 games during the autumn.
"I want to win as many trophies as I can but I think I'm also known for the fact that my teams always try to play attacking football and can only say that we are trying to do so."
That was ahead of the goalless draw at runaway Premier League leaders Arsenal that, while more the deserved given Hugo Ekitike had joined the lengthy absentee list, underlined the problem facing Slot in making the necessary step from his team being hard to beat to capable of beating any opposition.
Now, less than five weeks on, the landscape has changed significantly. The blank stalemate at the Emirates meant Liverpool had scored only 21 goals in 17 games. Since then, though, the Reds have 25 in nine having seen off Brighton 3-0 in their FA Cup fourth round clash at Anfield on Saturday evening.
True, the opposition - most notably Barnsley in the previous FA Cup round and Qarabag in the Champions League - haven't always been stellar. But dismissing such obviously inferior opposition is a shortcoming that has left Liverpool outside the top four rather than being firmly in control of their Premier League destiny.
What will enthuse Slot perhaps the most is that players from all parts of the pitch have been chipping in. Curtis Jones, playing at right-back, became the 11th to score during the recent period when scoring the opener against Brighton.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Hugo Ekitike have five each, with Florian Wirtz on three, Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah all netting two while Jeremie Frimpong, Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa and Ibrahima Konate have one apiece. An own goal has also been forced while Rio Ngumoha wrongly had a strike disallowed at the weekend.
In the last nine games, Liverpool are averaging 20 shots a game with six on target. In the previous nine it was 14 shots per match with less than four on target, although a significant caveat is six out of the last nine games have been at home compared to the previous run of only four from nine.
"If you look at the last five, six, seven, eight games, for me at least it's clear to see the progression we've made," says Slot. "That progression is mainly physical.
"We are much more able now to play three games in seven or eight days, which we struggled with a lot in the first part of the season.
"It's safe to say if you play so many games that you have to win, that's why so many teams have so big squads. We have a bit of a different model and we've been very unlucky with long-term injuries, that's why it's constantly on the same 13-14 players and you need to take care of them.
"And a way of taking care of them is to give them a bit of a rest. They will have a few days off now but we will have enough time to prepare us in the best possible way for (Nottingham) Forest (next Sunday)."
It's helped that Liverpool have kept clean sheets in four of the last seven games, with the shutout ensured on Saturday by an important Alisson Becker save just before half-time to prevent Brighton's Diego Gomez from equalising.
Alisson had been a surprise starter given his last FA Cup appearance had been more than two years earlier, with Giorgi Mamardashvili between the sticks for the 4-1 win over Barnsley in the third round.
But it was maybe a sign of Slot realising the competition is now a realistic route to silverware after the disappointing Premier League title defence. Indeed, compare his starting line-up to the one for the shock fourth round loss at Plymouth Argyle the previous season that prompted claims the Reds boss disrespected the competition.
Rafael Benitez faced similar jibes in 2004/05 and responded by guiding Liverpool to the trophy the following season. Slot will hope for a bit of history repeating this time around.
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