Liverpool cannot ignore Premier League warning as table offers Arne Slot reality check

Despite sitting fourth over the last four Premier League gameweeks, Liverpool is still failing to convince and has been unable to establish a gap between it and the chasing pack

Liverpool must improve if it is to pull clear of the Premier League middle ground(Image: )

This week, it was Brentford’s turn, perhaps even Newcastle United, depending on how you view these things.

Before that, it was Crystal Palace, Everton and then Sunderland. It feels like almost every week, a new surprise package shoots up the Premier League table.

“Look where Brentford are!,” will have been a recurring comment in offices and group chats across the country - including at Liverpool.com, for what it’s worth. Keith Andrews' side have won four in five to rocket up the standings to fifth place, where it sits just ahead of Newcastle, a side that ended 2025 in 14th.

Such is the rate of change in a peculiar Premier League campaign in which fifth and 15th are separated by just seven points. One good run and teams can start climbing the ladder, while a small downturn and clubs will plummet, as evidenced by Palace, which has dropped from fifth to 13th over the course of the last four rounds of fixtures.

Outside of the relegation places and top four, there appears to be little separating the sides this season.

Liverpool fans won’t fail to notice their club, sitting in fourth, is not included in that equation, and the reigning champions remain the season’s enigma. As referenced by Arne Slot this week, Liverpool is capable of competing with the best, but has repeatedly struggled to break down lower-ranking opponents.

It lacks consistency, and as argued by my colleague, Matt Addison, the Reds look more suited to the formidable Champions League knockout stages than a trip to Brentford.

Liverpool remains a perplexing side after the halfway stage of the season(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool is an oddity. No-one can quite determine whether a side that continues to underwhelm while going 10 unbeaten is actually any good.

Yet, amid that uncertainty, the Reds have managed to just about escape the Premier League’s volatile middle ground. Liverpool moved up to sixth after victory over Brighton & Hove Albion nearly a month ago and then climbed a place per week over the subsequent two fixtures.

The Burnley game on January 17 will be the fourth in a row that it has approached nestled inside the top four. And yet it is still within touching distance of the chasing pack. Indeed, defeat against the Clarets could see Liverpool slump to seventh.

With Manchester United and Chelsea so frequently slipping up over recent weeks, Liverpool had the chance to put some distance between itself and the other European hopefuls. Instead, Slot’s side has drawn three in a row.

Liverpool must improve if it is to secure a Champions League place(Image: Getty Images)

So, what does all this tell us? Well, lots and nothing at the same time.

Liverpool, at the very least, is improving and appears to be slightly more consistent than the league’s mid-ranking clubs, but not significantly better to create a substantial buffer zone.

There are warnings there for Liverpool, however, especially with a mounting injury record that was exacerbated by Conor Bradley being stretchered off at the Emirates.

The champions lost six of seven in the league across the autumn months and anything resembling a similar run would prove catastrophic for the team’s Champions League hopes, even if there are five places up for grabs again this season

The Premier League is tightly condensed, but it will take just one or two clubs to enjoy extended upturns in fortunes, and suddenly, Liverpool will feel the heat.

If Liverpool really hopes to consolidate a top-four finish, it must start performing like a team worthy of a spot in Europe’s elite competition. If not, someone else will.