Boos, no intensity and no identity - what is Slot's Liverpool?
If Arne Slot has not realised already, then he needs to realise very quickly that the Anfield crowd demands energy and a certain intensity from its side. Far too often at home this season, Liverpool have lacked a spark - something that the crowd can feed off - and the ability to kill the opposition off when they take the lead. When they went in front early against a Chelsea side who had lost their last six Premier League games, Slot's side should have used that as the moment to dominate the match and secure an important win.
Instead, they allowed Calum McFarlane's out-of-form side a way back into the game. "The adjustment we made at half-time helped us be the more dominant team in the second half. We were twice close," claimed Slot.
"So it is not fair to me to say I ever tell my players to back off and not press. If it did look like that, it was never the intention. " Enzo Fernandez's equaliser for Chelsea means Liverpool have now dropped nine points from winning positions in Premier League home games this season, their most at Anfield since 2015-16, when Jurgen Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers as the manager.
"Our identity is intensity" was the phrase coined by Pep Lijnders when he was Liverpool 's assistant manager under Klopp. Slot's brief was always to do things his own way and never to try be like Klopp, but his side have lacked any identity this season and have next to no intensity. "I thought Liverpool actually started quite well, got the goal, and then from there Chelsea were the better team.
They caused Liverpool big problems, especially Marc Cucurella running behind," said Wayne Rooney on Match of the Day. "The crowd were obviously a bit edgy, which you very rarely get from Liverpool fans. It comes from not having the season they hoped for, and after spending a lot of money.