Liverpool opinion: Can Arne Slot’s Reds rescue their season?

In the FA Cup on Saturday, Liverpool reminded everyone what they’re capable of with a comfortable 3-0 win over Brighton.

The Reds’ second-half display was the sort of spectacle that catches your attention and makes you think: “Ah, there they are. That’s the Liverpool we were promised.”

It was a rare glimpse of energy, unlike the usual performances that feel more like dragging yourself out of bed for work on a Monday morning.

Still, the big questions haven’t gone anywhere.

Can they still fight for silverware? Can they salvage a Champions League spot? Or are they just keeping the league slightly more entertaining while Chelsea and Manchester United, both sitting above them in the table, look down with mild amusement?

Here, Sport Just Sport writer Jake Reed gives his thoughts.

Szoboszlai the one-man orchestra

If there is one player keeping this Liverpool side ticking, it has got to be Dominik Szoboszlai.

A true athlete, he seems to do everything: brilliant on the ball, deadly from set pieces and always running, somehow managing to look calm while surrounded by tactical chaos.

All season, he has been the steady hand and the one constant.

Without him, the Brighton game could easily have become another episode of Groundhog Day: missed chances, slow tempo and familiar frustration.

Liverpool fans know that feeling all too well.

Szoboszlai has been the difference between this side being watchable and completely wandering off script.

He is the conductor this orchestra desperately needs, and right now, he is the only one consistently showing up to rehearsal.

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Couple of new toys

Then there is Liverpool’s new wave: Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz.

A duo that is gaining chemistry each gameweek, putting on a show every match, like a new pair of boots finally breaking in after giving you blisters for the first few weeks.

There was plenty of criticism aimed at Wirtz after a slow start, and with a price tag that size, that was inevitable.

But that pressure has eased considerably thanks to genuinely exciting performances over the last couple of months.

The German is finding his rhythm just as Liverpool begin to show signs of something resembling stability, and he is demonstrating that he can push this attack to another level entirely.

The man he has clicked with most is Liverpool’s new striker, Ekitike.

The Frenchman got off to a much cleaner start than Wirtz, but it still hasn’t been all smooth sailing.

His goal tally sits at 15 in 35 appearances across all competitions, a return that few would complain about for a young striker in his first Premier League season.

He has had quiet games against the big teams, but for a young striker in his debut season, that’s more of a learning curve than a red flag.

Together, they are the most exciting thing happening at Anfield right now, which – given everything else going on – is either very encouraging or says quite a lot about everything else going on.

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Searching for a blueprint

It has been a rough ride for Arne Slot, trying to steady a ship that seems to spring a new leak with every attempted repair.

His decisions this season have often left fans scratching their heads, though.

At times, it feels like the plan is simply to ‘go out there, see what happens and hope for the best’.

Liverpool’s approach to games has been equally mystifying.

Sometimes it feels like watching a cheap kettle boil – painfully slow, with everyone quietly losing patience, before inevitably orchestrating a spectacular calamity at the back.

Against Brighton, that was obvious in the first half, but the second half finally showed glimpses of the Liverpool we know: energetic and with a threatening presence in front of goal.

Slot’s Reds do not look built for this season’s obsession with long throw-ins and set pieces, and perhaps that’s why they’ve looked sharper in Europe than in the league.

If that European form continues, Liverpool could still be dark horses in the UEFA Champions League.

And let’s be honest, it is Liverpool in Europe. Who are we to doubt them? Barcelona certainly won’t be doing it again.

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Salah: The comeback kid?

Mohamed Salah is clearly not operating at the outrageous level of last season.

But recent performances suggest the Egyptian King may finally be finding his groove again, and even brief flashes of the old magic are enough to get Liverpool fans up from their seats.

His penalty against Brighton seemed like a weight lifted off his shoulders – not just a goal, but a reminder of what he is and what he can still be.

There is a faint but unmistakable hum of resurgence in the air.

That shirt. That night at Anfield in 2019, when Salah stood pitchside wearing a shirt that simply read ‘Never give up’ as Liverpool dismantled Barcelona 4-0.

It was the motto that defined one of the greatest European comebacks in the club’s history.

Right now, it feels oddly relevant again. It seems he may be taking his own advice.

Salah’s story does not feel finished yet.

With Szoboszlai, Ekitike and Wirtz all firing, the return of vintage Salah could turn this attack into a proper cinematic ensemble.

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Rescuing a poor season

This campaign was meant to be a title charge. Instead, it has become a late scramble for form and direction.

The league table does not lie.

Chasing down Chelsea and Man Utd for a Champions League place will require the one thing Liverpool have made their most elusive quality this season: consistency.

Next up is Nottingham Forest, the kind of fixture that either builds momentum or collapses it entirely.

Win, and suddenly there is belief.

Lose, and it is straight back into the familiar pit of panic and pessimism – a place Liverpool fans seem to have taken permanent residence in.

For the Reds, momentum seems to last as long as the British sun and given the record levels of rain we’ve had in January and February, that’s maybe one or two fleeting sunny days at best.

Despite that, silverware still feels possible, even if it is no longer the Premier League trophy many expected. 

Liverpool’s European form makes them a genuine Champions League wildcard.

There is also the FA Cup, where a win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in March would mean a place in the quarter-finals – one win away from what the self-proclaimed Wembley wizards like to call ‘Anfield South’.

Things are rarely straightforward for Liverpool. They never make it easy, history has taught us that much.

One thing is certain, though: they will give it a go.

The talent is obvious. What remains missing is direction and structure, and how that arrives is still very much open to debate.

Liverpool have the cast of a Christopher Nolan epic, but the direction still looks more Sunday League than Hollywood.

Whether or not they get the script right in time will define their season. The ending is still unwritten.

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