Why Arne Slot’s stalling revival could hinge on Liverpool’s trip to Marseille | OneFootball

Twelve-game unbeaten runs do not tend to be greeted by boos. The soundtrack on the final whistle at Anfield on Saturday, however, showed it is possible to be undefeated but unimpressive. Make it 13 at the Stade Velodrome and there will be greater reasons to argue a corner has been turned.

As it is, Liverpool have headed to Marseille with the jury out: on a revival that has seem to have stalled on Arne Slot. Social media polls and knee-jerk reactions are no reliable guide, and nor should they be the basis for sound decision-making, yet while Liverpool have plenty to play for in three competitions, the next few months are also significant for a sense of feeling: is the team headed in the right direction, the manager finding a formula that incorporates many of the arrivals in a record spending spree, or are Slot’s Liverpool going nowhere?

In the short term, chalking up a 13th game without a loss would seem a stepping stone. Certainly if it brings a victory that would position Liverpool for a top-eight finish that would free up a couple of midweeks in February, though another draw may suffice.

But there is a warning. A sign of Liverpool’s new fallibility this season is that they have lost to two of the Champions League’s middle class, in Galatasaray and PSV Eindhoven. The crushing 4-1 loss to the Dutch champions prompted the more pragmatic rethink, and dropping of Mohamed Salah.

Liverpool have five clean sheets in the subsequent dozen games, the most impressive of them in San Siro against Internazionale and at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal. Yet a reason why that unbeaten run can seem unconvincing is that the last four in the Premier League have been drawn and that, since the start of December, Liverpool have been held four times by the three promoted teams. It was not inconceivable that Wolves, too, could have drawn with them. So Liverpool have missed the opportunity to pull clear of the stumbling pack and to put themselves far closer to Aston Villa and Manchester City. A side that won the winnable games last season tend to draw them now.

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Liverpool have been held four times by three promoted teams since the start of December (Getty Images)

It reflects a wider struggle to score. Perhaps Salah’s imminent return from the African Cup of Nations is an answer, though it could come at a cost defensively. In the 10 league games since he was demoted, eight teams have scored more than Liverpool, who have 15 goals, and seven have a higher xG. The attacking encouragement stems from the fact that Florian Wirtz has started scoring; the collective, however, look less than potent.

Sometimes the personnel show a shift to solidity. The model of overloading on midfielders worked at the San Siro, when Curtis Jones was outstanding and Dominik Szoboszlai the scorer. Yet the fact that the Hungarian converted a penalty in Italy and missed one against Burnley on Saturday feels doubly symbolic: Liverpool failed to win the supposedly easier game and it showed a supposedly new approach, of putting him on spot-kick duty, instead only looked a quick fix.

A visit to the south of France could call for another savvy European away display. Certainly Szoboszlai’s late decider in Milan revived hopes of a top-eight place which otherwise seemed to disappear amid a blitz of PSV goals. Instead, Liverpool were ninth after six games, with the insurance policy of a last-day date with Qarabag.

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The Marseille trip could prove pivotal in Liverpool’s bid to finish in the top eight (Getty Images)

So there is a sense their fate hinges on the trip to Marseille. Roberto de Zerbi’s team are the top scorers at home in Ligue 1 and have 14 goals in their last two matches, even if nine were against sixth-tier Bayeux in the Coupe de France. It is a reason why Mason Greenwood has nine goals in his last seven games.

If there is an erraticism to Marseille, who have lost two Champions League matches after leading this season but won their last two after trailing, De Zerbi’s brand of chaos has brought him many an admirer: Liverpool director of football Richard Hughes was one in his Bournemouth days.

His attacking instincts provide one test of Liverpool. The Stade Velodrome offers another. Liverpool lost in one intimidating venue, even if they may attribute defeat in Istanbul’s Rams Park to a contentious penalty decision against Szoboszlai.

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Liverpool have already lost in one intimidating European venue this term (Adam Davy/PA Wire)

It was, though, notable for being the first game this season when Slot benched Salah, a first seeming recognition he could not accommodate all the attacking talents. Four months on, however, a game-plan with the appropriate blend of offence and defence has still tended to look elusive.

But as they flew over the English Channel, Liverpool thoughts may have passed to their last trip to France. After winning the league phase last season, they beat Paris Saint-Germain in the Parc des Princes last season, albeit due to an outstanding performance from Alisson. As they return to France, it is with their star having waned. And yet making it a 13th game without a loss could be platform for progress.