Liverpool have only lost once in their last 14 games. They sit fourth in the Champions League table, level on points with Real Madrid, above Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona. Their last two European nights have brought away wins over Inter and Marseille.
It is not the whole picture, though; it cannot be, when they are sixth in the Premier League, 14 points off the pace. A long unbeaten run came to an end at Bournemouth on Saturday. It brought a chorus of criticism: the “outside noise”, as Arne Slot called it. Much of it is concentrated around him. A title-winning manager may have lost the backing of some Liverpool supporters; it can seem so at such times. And if part of the issue is that too many of those 13 undefeated matches were actually draws that produced frustration, Slot is aware that if victories bring respite, setbacks prompt another outcry. Which, in itself, is revealing. The soundtrack can reflect a dissatisfaction with him.
