Inevitably, Liverpool surrendered three valuable points on the stroke of 90 minutes. An equaliser from Richarlison cancelled out another wonderful free-kick from Dominik Szoboszlai. This was inevitable because Liverpool conceded space, possession, and momentum in a desperate attempt to run down the clock. It was inevitable because it is what Arne Slot’s men have done all season. Finally, it is inevitable because this Liverpool team lacks both guile and game intelligence.
Slot picked a starting eleven which surely had many bewildered, not least of which were surely the players themselves. It certainly looked that way. Someone, somewhere, must know just why Cody Gakpo continues to play, though even he must be surprised. Selected to play down the middle while Hugo Ekitike kicked his heels on the bench, the Dutchman offered absolutely nothing, posing no threat for the entirety of his near ninety minutes. Seemingly unable to even retain possession, his presence on the pitch was entirely devoid of purpose.
Meanwhile, Alexis Mac Allister somehow runs even slower without the ball than with it, which goes some way to explaining why he so often gets robbed of it. Had it not been for the welcome addition of Rio Ngumoha, who had the Spurs defence constantly backpedalling, and of course yet another free-kick accurately despatched by Szoboszlai, the first half, in which an abject Tottenham Hotspur offered so little, would have been devoid of incident, let alone excitement.
In many respects, that is just it with the present incarnation of Liverpool. There is so little excitement, so little joy, so little of anything really, and perhaps what is worse, a yawning lack of identity. Drab, dour, score, waste chances, and concede: rinse and repeat. This happened even against a truly awful Spurs side who still look like very real contenders for relegation.
The boos that rang out at Anfield as another chance to creep into the top four was wasted must be ringing in the ears of both Slot and the owners. Excuses for a truly dire title defence are wearing thin. Yes, of course, a succession of injuries has played its part, but the drop-off in performance by so many who raised the Premier League trophy less than 12 months ago is perhaps unprecedented. Meanwhile, Arne Slot’s team selections and his post-match comments increasingly resemble a manager unable to accept reality and the paucity and shallowness of his team’s displays.
