Liverpool won 5-1 and yet the very same doubts remain, with the most willing of patsies in Eintracht Frankfurt offering a mere suspension of the crisis.
It doesn’t say much for Liverpool’s resilience and defensive shape that commentator Darren Fletcher’s revelation that “this is the first time we’ve seen Frankfurt get the ball forward for a while”, as the German side broke the press and reached halfway in the 26th minute, preceded the opening goal of the game.
It was a lovely one, featuring a zipped ball into midfield, a couple of smart passes from veteran Mario Gotze to knit the move together, and a brilliant driven finish through Andy Robertson’s legs and in off the post from former Leeds full-back Rasmus Kristensen. But there was a gaping hole in Liverpool’s midfield.
That’s typically filled by Ryan Gravenberch and/or Alexis Mac Allister, neither of whom started here, though won’t be overly concerned about losing their starting spots in the team on the basis of Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai’s attempts to snuff Frankfurt’s attack out.
They were closer to tackling each other, both charging at the man on the ball and ignoring Gotze in his favourable position to provide the assist for Kristensen.
The 3-1 half-time scoreline suggests Liverpool roared back, and in a sense they did, but almost entirely thanks to some abhorrent defending from a side that’s now conceded 29 goals in ten games in the Bundesliga and Champions League this season. Atletico Madrid, spanked 4-0 by Arsenal on Tuesday, beat them 5-1 on Matchday two.
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Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate scored from an inswinging corner each. They were both fine deliveries, but that shouldn’t be the only factor in making a goal inevitable. The Frankfurt defenders were shrugging shoulders and raising arms questioning what the bloody hell they were supposed to do: “Mark them?! Nah.”
Hugo Ekitike had already drawn Liverpool level with a goal which would rank somewhere very close to the top in the ‘just shouldn’t happen’ stakes for a Champions League football team.
There was seven seconds between Robertson playing the straight pass from inside his own box after a Frankfurt attack broke down and Ekitike’s finish under Michael Zetterer hitting the back of the net. In an era in which managers are obsessed with the dangers of transition, both in attack and defence, it was pathetic.
Robertson’s pass was excellent and Ekitike played his part to perfection, showing searing pace to get in behind, an excellent touch to take Robin Koch out of the equation and a confident finish under the goalkeeper.
And Slot will be pleased with the quality of the goals in the second half too, not least because Florian Wirtz broke his assists duck, first sliding the ball across for Cody Gakpo at the back post and then playing a five-yard ball for Dominik Szoboslzai to smash in from the edge of the box. But again, it was so, so easy.
Wirtz found himself in acres of space on the right before playing a pass which Ally McCoist was all too eager to laud as brilliant but would have been a proper balls-up had he failed to find Gakpo. And there was a terrible defensive header before Szoboszlai’s low stinger.
We fully accept that Liverpool could only beat what they were up against, and they may well have built up some crucial confidence ahead of their visit to Brentford on Sunday. But we can’t think of a concern that’s emerged over the last month which has been eased as a result of this 5-1 demolition.
Alexander Isak was hooked at half-time, and Steve McManaman wondering “whether it’s an injury or if they’re just being conservative with his fitness” failed to take into account another two missed chances and his failure to contribute anything of note to the team besides.
The midfield was bypassed and the defence found wanting when Frankfurt took the lead.
Mohamed Salah came on but looked as off the boil in front of goal as he has in the last few weeks, and won’t have endeared himself to Wirtz by shooting from a tight angle rather than squaring it for the German to score his first Liverpool goal. It doesn’t bode well that greedy Salah is back.
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And any improvements, including those assists for Wirtz, have to be taken with the huge pinch of salt required on the basis of them playing against the team that’s conceded the most goals in the Bundesliga (18) and the most goals in the Champions League (11).
Liverpool needed this but we’re yet to see if they will avert the crisis.
