For some, too much is not enough. And Liverpool being top of the Premier League and Champions League with just two defeats in 33 games in all competitions is insufficient for at least one observer.
“My gosh, are they not a bit dull to watch?” said talkSPORT pundit Jason Cundy after the admittedly low-key 2-1 home win over Lille on Tuesday night that secured the Reds’ place in the last 16 with a game to spare. “I just watch Liverpool at the minute and they don’t grip me. It’s a bit pass, pass, pass. In terms of results they are the best team, but I just find them dull. Their style of play is boring. They are not an easy watch.”
Cundy was soon forcefully beaten down by his flabbergasted colleagues and listeners. But given his job is to generate conversation and content, he successfully ticked a big box with his comments.
And he probably won’t be alone in those views. After almost a decade of high-octane football under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool under Arne Slot are a more methodical team with a greater emphasis on control than chaos. Results so far this season appear to suggest it has been the correct approach.
But does that actually mean Liverpool are dreary to watch?
Well, when it comes to the Champions League, there’s no doubt their matches aren’t quite as entertaining to the neutral as some other clubs in terms of goals per game. Their tally of 17 in their seven games is surpassed by three-quarters of the 35 other clubs in this season’s competition.
That, though, will have much to do with the fact the Reds defence has been breached only twice, while their opponents – two each from Italy, Germany and Spain along with one from France and another from Holland to come in PSV Eindhoven next week – are from the strongest leagues in Europe. They simply aren’t going to be goalfests.
Even then, only a handful of teams have scored more than Liverpool in the opening stage. And almost universally their fixtures haven’t been quite as demanding – Dortmund, for example, have scored 19 to the Reds’ 15 in seven games, but their opponents have included games against teams from Austria, Croatia, Scotland and Belgium.
Actually, in terms of the expected goals metric, only Atalanta had a higher total than Liverpool before Wednesday night’s matches, suggesting the Reds are creating plentiful chances.
But in the Premier League, there can be few complaints about the entertainment value of Slot’s side. The Reds are the top scorers with 50 goals in 21 matches and are averaging more shots on goal than any other team.
Then there’s the type of goal being scored. Only Manchester City have scored more times from open play – 35 to Liverpool’s 32 – and just Tottenham Hotspur can match the Reds’ tally of 10 goals on the counter-attack, widely regarded as an exciting way in which to score.
Conversely, only Fulham have netted fewer times than the three occasions Liverpool have from set-pieces. It will surprise nobody to discover their title rivals Arsenal lead that particular table with 10. Few, though, would contend goals from set-pieces are more thrilling to watch than those from a swift transition.
Is Cundy’s umbrage, then, over the fact Liverpool aren’t giving enough encouragement to the opposition? Defensively, no team has leaked fewer than the 20 goals the Reds have conceded while nobody is allowing on average fewer shots per game for an opponent.
But half of those goals came in four games with Liverpool winning 6-3 at Tottenham Hotspur, held 3-3 at Newcastle United and drawing 2-2 with Arsenal and Manchester United. All four were more than lively encounters.
And of Liverpool’s 15 Premier League wins, only three have been by more than two goals, suggesting games were, as Slot has previously stated, very much in the balance heading into the closing stages. The Reds usually have to work hard for their rewards.
If Liverpool are in any way boring, it’s that they keep on winning games. And Reds supporters will happily take such tedium every time if it results in silverware come the end of the season.
