Why Liverpool fans are right - and wrong - to complain about Arne Slot: Does 11-game unbeaten run make up for 'boring' style? What is stopping him from playing Rio Ngumoha? And is he just TOO honest?

At the nadir of an early-winter Liverpool slump, most fans would have snapped your hand off if you'd offered them an 11-game unbeaten run.

That would have been especially true after three brutal defeats in as many games, losing 3-0 to Manchester City and Nottingham Forest and 4-1 to PSV Eindhoven, with the latter two at Anfield.

Arne Slot , therefore, would also have jumped at the chance to go unbeaten this side of mid-January.

Yet 11 games without defeat later (six wins and five draws), fans still have plenty of gripes about the Premier League champions.

Here, Daily Mail Sport examines some of the issues that have aggrieved supporters – and reaches a verdict on whether they are fair…

Arne Slot is still being scrutinised by Liverpool fans despite his team's 11-game unbeaten run in all competitions

After a poor start to the season, the Reds have managed to recover from a perilous position

‘Boring’ style of play

‘Dull and boring’ was the turn of phrase put to Slot at a press conference last week about his style of play – comments which the Dutchman said he was hurt by… though he did not disagree.

Just under a year ago, Liverpool were compared to ‘fighter jets’ by Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique, whose team went on to be the kings of Europe that season.

In a piece along the same theme, Daily Mail Sport wrote: ‘Liverpool looked like the Red Arrows, zooming through the sky and leaving everything in their wake. Blink and you’ll miss them.’

Now, those Red Arrows look more like one of the early efforts of the Wright Brothers, struggling to take flight.

Slot has a lot of attacking class at his disposal turning the screw in early 2026, such as the trio we shall dub ‘the Bundesliga boys’ after their moves from Germany: £116million Florian Wirtz, 12-goal new striker Hugo Ekitike and flying full back Jeremie Frimpong.

Because of this, plus midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai et al , it feels like Liverpool will come up with enough moments to score goals. But how many of these goals are a direct result of coaching?

That is not to say they are fluking it but, unlike last season where Slot’s fingerprints were all over this high-octane unit, it feels like any game can go either way.

Even the 4-1 win over Barnsley in the FA Cup on Monday left one thinking that if the League One outfit had enjoyed a bit of luck in front of goal, they could have been level.

Dominik Szoboszlai is one of a number of talented Liverpool players capable of producing goals from nothing

But the Reds have been accused of playing with a 'dull and boring' style on the pitch, with little evidence of coaching in their attacking play

The same nagging thought occurred after games against Wolves, Leeds and Fulham recently. All of those sides could easily have picked up more points than they did.

Credit to Slot for stopping the bleeding in terms of leaking goals at one end, but he has certainly lost a bit of excitement at the other.

Are fans right to grumble about this? Yes, some of the post-Christmas games have felt a bit like a chore to watch, not something you would associate with Liverpool in the last decade.

We must also point out: they are missing £125m Alexander Isak and (despite his dip this season) their best goalscorer, Mohamed Salah.

The case for the defence is that 11 matches unbeaten is never something to be sniffed at and, in the 0-0 draw at Arsenal, Slot delivered an astute tactical plan. Packing the midfield has given opponents less space to operate and helped wrestle back control, which the boss craves.

Between now and the end of the season, Slot must find a balance again between this defensive solidity and attacking flair. He must start to get bums off seats at Anfield once more.

Slot’s soundbites

Another charge on Slot’s docket is that his soundbites can be frustrating to hear.

He has been criticised for being too open tactically, essentially saying that opponents' long-ball plans hurt his team.

Slot has been criticised for being too open tactically, giving away Liverpool's main weaknesses

On this, there is a valid counter-argument that it is a breath of fresh air to hear a manager speak so openly about such things.

The main gripe is that he comes up with ‘excuses’ for bad results - such as saying Liverpool created lots of chances and underperformed their expected goals (xG) tally.

Again, playing devil’s advocate, sometimes Slot is right and his team do seem to concede with the first chance they have conceded. That is simply bad luck, while they have seen some fine goalkeeping displays against them.

Another supporters' gripe is that Slot seems to talk about their set-piece differential a lot, with the Reds scoring from just three dead-ball situations (a joint-low in the Premier League, level with rock-bottom Wolves) and conceding from 13 (only Bournemouth on 14 have a worse tally).

Supporters would say the head coach moans about this but not much changes, save for set-piece coach Aaron Briggs leaving his job.

Are fans right to grumble about this? Maybe sometimes Slot seeks out mitigating factors over defeats and draws – but find me a manager who does not do that…

Why do fringe stars not get a chance?

Cody Gakpo is one player who is not flavour of the month right now, due to scoring just two league goals since October 19 (he missed two matches with an injury and came off the bench in the following two).

It has led some to question his continued selection in the first team when players like 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha and fan favourite Federico Chiesa barely get a sniff.

Teenage talent Rio Ngumoha has hardly been given a look-in despite Cody Gakpo's poor form

So, why do that pair not play more?

With Ngumoha, it is because Liverpool are extremely cautious with him due to his tender age. They have perhaps learned lessons from long-term injuries to the likes of Jayden Danns, Stefan Bajcetic and Kaide Gordon in recent years.

All three of those players' issues could be down to the fact they were overworked at a similar age and suffered injuries based on the stress or overload to muscles and the body. So it is understandable the Reds are being careful over Ngumoha.

The teenager does not take part in every training session due to this and, on a typical week, might only train two or three times.

Yes, he is exciting and in his cameo off the bench against Leeds on New Year’s Day he achieved something no Reds player had done all half: cause the defenders to panic. But he is only 17 and maybe Slot thinks he does not have a deep understanding of the off-the-ball, tactical side of the game to be trusted for more minutes just yet.

The boss clearly rates him, though, or he would not have promoted him to the first-team group – and talk last week that the manager and sporting director Richard Hughes had fallen out over Ngumoha was sensationalist nonsense.

With Chiesa, just watch his performances when he has started games. He is a passionate soul and can be a game-changer off the bench but the clamour for the Italian to start every game is perhaps over the top.

Are fans right to grumble about team selection? Maybe Slot was loyal to some players for too long during the torrid autumn run but, overall, due to injuries and other issues, he has had his hands tied somewhat when it comes to shuffling his pack.

Meanwhile, Federico Chiesa has been used sparingly, despite becoming a fan favourite

Why is the squad so thin despite a mega-money spending spree?

It seems ridiculous but it is true. Liverpool spent just shy of £450m in the summer yet, from the outside at least, it appears they are two or three men short.

That is a central defender, wide forward and maybe a holding midfielder – though injuries have made these issues look more pressing.

The decision not not pursue targets at left wing was largely down to not wanting to block Ngumoha’s pathway but he has played just 48 Premier League minutes all season, so maybe patience is needed.

As for defenders, Marc Guehi was 99 per cent a Liverpool player late afternoon on deadline day. There is a feeling that if Manchester City do not tempt him to join this month (and they are pushing hard), Anfield would still be his preferred destination in the summer on a free transfer.

But should Liverpool act now? Can they afford to go into the second half of the season with just six recognised defenders (including full backs) given neither Giovanni Leoni or Conor Bradley will play again this season?

They had been in talks with Antoine Semenyo’s advisers since October but he ended up choosing City instead.

Are fans right to moan about a lack of January activity? Yes, but let us not rewrite history and say the summer window was not one of the best in history. If you had told fans this time last year that Isak, Wirtz, two full backs and Ekitike would all sign, they would have called you mad.

Richard Hughes, the sporting director, delivered everything on Slot’s wishlist… now it is up to the head coach to make them work.

Liverpool spent just shy of £450m in the summer yet it appears they are two or three men short

The Salah conundrum

And finally, Salah (remember him?) will be back in the next week after Egypt lost to Senegal on Wednesday night in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final.

Is it Slot’s fault that Salah has been so out of form for his club this season, or must the legendary forward quit the moaning and prove his worth himself? Probably a bit of both.

The two parties shook hands after Salah’s bombshell comments about the club throwing him ‘under the bus’ and that he has ‘no relationship’ with Slot.

From the outside, though, it feels like it will take far more than that to repair the damage. It will be an intriguing storyline to see how Slot and Salah unite in the coming weeks – it could be the difference between a dismal season or one that can still be memorable…