Dark Days at Anfield: Arne Slot Under Fire as Liverpool Drift Further Off Course
A weakened Tottenham expose a side with no attacking identity, no control, and growing Premier League concerns
Liverpool 1 - 1 Tottenham Hotspur - Numbers That
Expose a Team Losing Its Identity
Drift behind dominance
I said it after the match, and I will stand by it.
Liverpool are drifting, and the numbers, not just the eye test, are beginning to back that up.
A Tottenham Hotspur side arrived at Anfield in poor form, depleted, short of confidence, and yet left with a deserved point. That alone should set alarm bells ringing. When you then layer in the data from this Premier League encounter, it becomes even more concerning.
Liverpool had 63% possession, completed 553 passes to Spurs’ 320, and recorded 1.70 expected goals to 1.18. On the surface, it looks like control.
But control without clarity is meaningless. And right now, Liverpool are a team that sees plenty of the ball without knowing quite what to do with it.
Possession without purpose
There was a time when Liverpool’s possession meant something. It stretched opponents, created overloads, and led to clear chances. Here, it drifted.
Liverpool completed 267 passes in the opposition half, more than double Tottenham’s 111. That should translate into sustained pressure, repeated openings, and eventually goals.
Instead, it often led nowhere.
The midfield circulated the ball, but rarely penetrated. The structure looked tidy from a distance, yet ineffective up close. There was little incision, little variation, and far too much reliance on moments rather than patterns.
That is where my biggest concern lies. This did not feel like a team executing a clear attacking identity. It felt like a team waiting for something to happen.
And too often, that something was a 17 year old.
Ngumoha the bright spark, system still unclear
Rio Ngumoha was fearless. Direct, confident, and willing to take responsibility. He stood out because he did what others did not.
He asked questions.
