“Crying out for a spark” – reporter sums up Liverpool concern at Craven Cottage

Liverpool’s afternoon at Craven Cottage was shaped less by the scoreline and more by a familiar lack of incision.

Despite seeing plenty of the ball against Fulham, we struggled to turn control into genuine threat by the half time whistle.

The opening goal came when Raul Jiminez flicked a clever pass into the path of Harry Wilson, who raced into the area and finished low beyond Alisson.

From that moment on, Fulham looked increasingly comfortable sitting deep and letting us circulate possession.

Speaking from the ground for BBC Sport, Aadam Patel summed it up bluntly, saying: “The worrying thing for Liverpool is that opposition teams look comfortable sitting back and letting them have the ball.”

“All that possession but hardly any threat whatsoever,” he added. “It’s a team crying out for some spark.”

That assessment aligned closely with the half-time verdict offered by Ian Doyle of the Liverpool ECHO, who wrote on X: “Lots of possession but real lack of intent in final third.”

Liverpool spark issue laid bare by Fulham approach

Without a natural focal point, our build-up often stalled in harmless areas.

Hugo Ekitike’s absence loomed large, after the French forward had picked up “a slight hamstring injury because of his recent workload,” though Liverpool remain hopeful he could return to face Arsenal.

That context matters, particularly given how Arne Slot previously explained the need to manage minutes after the Leeds draw, when the Dutchman admitted he withdrew Florian Wirtz because his hamstring “felt still too much” after Wolves.

The former Feyenoord boss also stressed that, with limited experience on the bench, protecting players through “six or seven months of non-stop football” had become a priority.

Those words felt relevant again here.

Liverpool creativity concerns reflected in Wirtz numbers

Florian Wirtz’s half-time data, via Sofascore, illustrated the broader issue.

The German No.7 completed 32 of 38 passes and recorded an expected assists figure of 0.43, yet managed just one shot, which was blocked.

He attempted no successful dribbles, lost possession 11 times and struggled to unlock a compact defensive block.

While Liverpool dominated territory, Fulham defended their box with ease.

It left us probing rather than threatening and as the season develops, these patterns will be watched closely.

Control alone will not always be enough.

And afternoons like this show why Liverpool are still searching for that extra spark.

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