Arne Slot was met with boos during Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Anfield. The head coach suggested that the negative reaction from fans was inevitable, as they tend to judge matches solely on results. However, the real source of frustration was the team’s lackluster performance.
Supporters grew restless early on, even while Liverpool were leading. They sensed a shift in momentum long before Chelsea’s equalizer. When asked post-match whether he had instructed his side to sit back, Slot responded frostily. “I said it after we scored the 1-0 and then we had a big chance for the 2-0. Didn’t you see me screaming on the sidelines, go back, go back, defend your own box? Of course it is not the idea for us to back off,” he explained sarcastically.
He later admitted that the team did drop deeper, but insisted it was never the plan. “It did look like that, that we dropped down, but that was never the intention.”
Liverpool regained some control in the second half against a Chelsea side who had lost their previous six Premier League games. Yet they still struggled to create meaningful chances. This lack of attacking thrust has become a recurring—and growing—concern among fans about Slot’s system.
When the match ended, Liverpool’s expected goals total stood at 0.56, their lowest since a narrow win over Arsenal in August. To find a home performance with such little creativity, you’d have to go back to 2021—and that match was played behind closed doors.
This statistic is inconvenient for Slot, who has often framed the season as a finishing problem. He frequently references expected goals, but Liverpool currently rank seventh in the Premier League on that metric—their worst position in a decade.
The Debrief also examines how Chelsea targeted Liverpool’s right flank through Marc Cucurella, and why Jeremy Doku’s improved finishing for Manchester City could transform his game.