Liverpool in 2025/26 are an entirely different proposition to the high-octane football, with fast starts that raised the crowd and created a frenetic atmosphere en route to last season's Premier League triumph. Those things are no longer a trademark of the Reds in their current guise.
In fact, Arne Slots side have failed to score in the first half of 12 of their 19 Premier League games so far this season. In 15 games at Anfield, in all competitions, theres been seven blanks at half-time.
No wonder, then, that the atmosphere was pretty flat as a Leeds side set up at Anfield with a clear game plan. Daniel Farkes side were organised and disciplined, comfortable even at restricting a Liverpool side who struggle to break down a low block, something Slot himself admitted post-match.
Liverpool's latest Anfield disappointment sees Reds draw yet another blank
To create chances against a low block you need pace, individual special moments to create an overload. You don't see a lot of 15-to-20-passes goals against low blocks, he explained.
Slot cited two ways to unlock a 'team that's defending so well in and around their box' - those being either a set-piece or a 'moment of magic.' He added that another way is "from a counter-attack or winning the ball back high up the pitch when they want to bring the ball out from the back.
That winning of the ball high up is less likely with Liverpools far from energetic press. Intensity was a buzzword under Klopp and his assistant Pepijn Lijnders but this Liverpool side now show a lack of it. When players press, its often easily bypassed by the opposition.
Leeds plan, with in-form Dominic Calvert-Lewin on the bench, was hardly difficult to understand.
If they remained in their deep block, Liverpool would struggle, then look to capitalise on long throws and set pieces, especially late on after introducing the former Everton striker.
It was Leeds, having claimed their first clean sheet away from home, who were celebrating a point at full time, while Liverpool fans welcomed the New Year by watching their team fail to win a home game for the sixth time in their last 10 attempts.
Kopites arent exactly entertained. Via statistician Michael Reid, in home games against Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Wolves, the Reds have registered 77 shots but created just four Opta-defined big chances.
In home games this season against Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, Wolves, and Leeds, Liverpool have generated 4 Opta-defined big chances in total. One per game.77 shots, 6.9 xG (0.089 xG/shot) from average possession of 69.4% in those games. #LFCJanuary 1, 2026
No wonder, then, that Slot seems increasingly frustrated every time his side comes up against a team that deploys a low defensive block.
Ball possession means not a lot if you cannot create enough chances, he said.
The problem is, Slot has made it abundantly clear how to frustrate him and his team. Every opponent knows how to restrict Liverpool, and Slot not only appears unable to find a solution but even speaks openly about the only solution being reliant on individual brilliance or a set piece.
The Anfield Atmosphere Problem
Liverpools atmosphere can be great, as evidenced time and again, most recently at the back end of last season when celebrating the first league title with fans after 35 years.
But Slots style of play, and seeming refusal to buy into the power and energy of the Anfield crowd is wasting a unique weapon that he could have at his disposal.
Very early on in his time at the club, the Dutchman discussed this with Jamie Carragher after the former player noticed what he called a strange atmosphere in Slots first home game in charge. Normally it starts off with the players putting in a lot of work rate and being real intense and then the fans go behind it, said Slot, while asking Carragher what he felt.
Clearly, though, Slot doesnt put much emphasis on looking for a fast start that can feed into the energy in the stands and in turn fuel the players.
Fast starts have been replaced by slow openings, players holding the ball to decipher the pressing triggers of the opponent. Its not what Liverpool fans, or the players, have been accustomed to.
There is, also, an issue that has increasingly frustrated supporters this season, as they face long queues to enter the stadium due to new security measures that have been introduced. Those in the upper Anfield Road Stand have faced especially long queues, even when arriving 90 minutes to an hour before kick off.
Fans are entering the stadium already frustrated and cold. It hardly sets the tone for a ferocious atmosphere. So if the fans need the players to provide the ignition, the slow pace on the pitch is certainly not helping.
The players and the fans need to feed off each other. Neither of which are possible under the current circumstances.
No wonder teams fancy their chances going to Anfield now, its certainly not the fortress it was.
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