Liverpool Lurches to Leeds | OneFootball

Liverpool’s season has repeatedly lurched between promise and frustration, but the bar for progress has dropped to such a point that extending their unbeaten run to three matches now feels like a significant milestone. That’s the backdrop as Arne Slot takes his inconsistent side to Elland Road on Saturday and a venue that has historically been kind to the Reds, but one now buoyed by the fervour of a newly promoted team that has just floored Chelsea.

Pressure is rising, optimism is fragile, and Leeds’ spirit is unmistakably on the up.

Liverpool’s Low Bar

The stakes for Liverpool are ultimately simple: avoid another setback or allow the noise around Slot’s future to intensify further.

Liverpool’s 1–1 draw with Sunderland on Wednesday may not have inspired the masses, but it was at least another step away from the chaos of their three-match losing streak. That, however, tells only part of the story. The Reds needed a heroic last-minute goal-line block from Federico Chiesa an unlikely defensive saviour to avoid what would have been a damaging seventh league defeat of the season.

Their first draw of the campaign came unusually late, in gameweek 14, and though neither Arsenal nor Chelsea have beaten surprise package Sunderland this season, Liverpool’s performance once again fuelled questions about Slot’s tactical cohesion, attacking patterns, and ability to steady a team still lacking a clear identity.

Despite the growing external pressure, the club hierarchy are believed to have no intention of dismissing Slot. Yet the reality is stark: Liverpool enter the weekend 11 points off league leaders Arsenal, still searching for fluency, and still grappling with the same frailties set pieces, transitions, and lapses in organisation that have plagued them since September.

Avoiding defeat at Elland Road would mark their longest unbeaten sequence since the early stages of the campaign. It would also serve as a crucial morale boost ahead of their looming Champions League test against Inter Milan on Tuesday.

Leeds Hopeful

Leeds United’s return to the Premier League had been turbulent, but Daniel Farke may have found a spark at the perfect time. His side’s stunning 3–1 win over Chelsea in midweek a victory sealed by Jaka Bijol, Ao Tanaka and Dominic Calvert-Lewin was the result that finally broke a run of four successive league defeats and lifted the Whites out of the relegation zone.

The shift to a 3-5-2 system has injected energy and structure into Leeds’ performances. Farke trialled the shape in a spirited second-half comeback attempt at Manchester City, then committed to it from the outset against Chelsea. The result was their best display of the season: aggressive, organised, relentless.

Leeds have now scored five times across two matches against Man City and Chelsea a tally that will give them real belief against an error-prone Liverpool defence and with seven goals already scored from set pieces and clear strength on the counter, Leeds will feel Saturday presents an ideal opportunity to exploit two of Liverpool’s most glaring weaknesses.

But while goals have returned, defensive vulnerability remains an issue. Leeds have conceded three goals in three of their last five league matches and have already been beaten twice at Elland Road this season. Against a Liverpool side that still boasts firepower, that’s a risk Leeds manager Daniel Farke is fully aware of.

How it Could Play

The history books lean heavily in Liverpool’s favour. Leeds have won just one of their last 14 meetings with the Reds; all the way back in 2000 and were dismantled 6–1 in this fixture in April 2023. Liverpool have not lost at Elland Road for 25 years, a streak that spans managerial eras, squad rebuilds and footballing evolutions.

But form is a more relevant indicator, and Leeds recent performances against elite sides make this encounter far less predictable than the head-to-head record suggests.

Leeds have scored in five of their last six league matches. Liverpool have conceded in four of their last five. Both teams scoring has been a regular theme in this fixture, and given the current defensive patterns – Liverpool shaky, Leeds leaky – another open contest feels likely.

Slot is expected to tweak his midfield structure again, potentially restoring more athleticism, but with the Champions League looming, rotation could complicate matters further.

For Leeds, this match represents a chance to build on momentum, climb further clear of the relegation zone, and send another message to the league’s elite that they can compete with anyone.

For Liverpool, it represents something much more delicate: proof that the improvement of the last two matches is not merely the calm before another storm.

Three unbeaten games does not sound like much for a club of Liverpool’s stature but right now, it would be a step, however small, in the right direction. Fail to take it, and the narrative around Slot’s future will only grow louder.