Arne Slot already explained why Liverpool 'became boring' long before Wolves clash, it has helped - opinion
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Liverpool’s attacking play for large periods vs Wolves was tough to watch, and Arne Slot has already told Jamie Carragher why there’s been a shift in his team’s style of play in recent months.Stephen Warnock was among those to question Liverpool’s display against Rob Edwards’ side, describing them as ‘backwards’.Steven Gerrard shared a similar verdict while covering the game for TNT Sports, saying the first 45 was ‘boring’ and there was nothing to talk about. Whose performance concerned you the most against Wolves?
Some utterly abject displays Photo by Ben Roberts – Danehouse/Getty Images Arne Slot made Liverpool ‘boring’ to stop leaking goalsBut it’s been apparent for some time that Slot changed up his side to ensure they stopped conceding so many goals.Speaking back in January, the Liverpool manager explained to Jamie Carragher why the Reds ‘became boring’.He said: “I had to listen to you Jamie, because you were the one who told me we had to make sure we don’t concede much, so I started to do that and as a result of that people started complaining that we became boring!“So, I’m not sure if I should listen to you!”It might have been a light-hearted joke with the ex-Liverpool centre-back, but there has been a clear shift in Liverpool’s style in the second half of the season.Has Liverpool’s more cautious style actually helped?Has it worked? Well, the stats would suggest it has to some extent, as the Merseyside outfit are now a more solid defensive unit.During a difficult run in 2025, Liverpool kept just one clean sheet in seven Premier League games from September 20 to November 11.In the Champions League, Slot’s men managed just one shutout in their opening five group games, with their second not coming until December 9 versus Inter Milan.Meanwhile, Alisson has kept a total of eight clean sheets in the Premier League this term, five of which have come since the middle of December, when Liverpool started to play with more caution.They have also kept three clean sheets in their last three European games, and stopped Brighton scoring in the last round of the FA Cup.There’s been a clear shift since Slot decided to stop playing with as much attacking prowess and began asking players like Mohamed Salah to drop deeper and help out defensively more, but is the trade-off worth it?I suppose that question will be answered by the end of 2025/26, and will largely depend on whether Liverpool are able to win any silverware and qualify for the Champions League.Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox