Title-holder or not, Arne Slot will be sacked if Liverpool don't improve FAST after losing the Reds fans

In fairness to Slot, he at least acknowledged the home fans' frustration at the 1-1 draw with Burnley - and insisted that it was a sentiment shared not only by himself, but all of his players.

"We have to give them credit [for] how they defended," the Dutchman told reporters in his post-match press conference. "They cleared balls off the line and did all the things you want to see if you are a Burnley manager. Their players tried to do everything to prevent us from scoring. But if we, as Liverpool, are not disappointed anymore by having a draw at home against Burnley, then something is completely wrong."

However, that much has been obvious for some time now.

Liverpool are lucky to be fourth in the Premier League, given they've won just five of their past 17 games. It's a rotten run of results that has prompted comparisons with Roy Hodgson's infamous reign as manager - and not just because of the pathetic points haul (21 of a possible 51).

There are also undeniable similarities in the stodgy style of play, which is seriously testing the patience of the supporters.

As former midfielder Jan Molby wrote in his latest column, "I keep asking myself the same question every week. What is the next step? What is being built here? Part of this is undoubtedly the hangover from the [Jurgen] Klopp years. For nearly a decade, intensity and chaos were our identity. Even on bad days, we were exciting. 

"Now, boredom has crept in, and I never thought I would say that about watching Liverpool. I've found myself drifting during matches, and that tells its own story."

There were at least some sources of excitement on Saturday. Florian Wirtz, for example, was once again a joy to watch and is now making a mockery of those that were quick to write him off after a slow start to his Anfield career. The strike with which he broke the deadlock was an emphatic illustration of his burgeoning self-belief. 

There were times during those difficult first few months when Wirtz seemed almost reluctant to shoot. Now, though, he's got four goals in his last six games in all competitions, and his increasing influence over Liverpool's attacking play was further emphasised by the fact that no player made more passes into the final third (60) against Burnley. It was also a crying shame that Cody Gakpo failed to convert after one exhilarating exhibition of Wirtz's awareness and fast feet in a crowded penalty area.

"The connections with the team-mates are really good now – we understand each other better on the pitch," the Germany international said. "It gives me more confidence and makes [it] more fun to play. I'm feeling good on the pitch." And that's evident in not only his performances, but also his general demeanour. It looks as if the weight of the transfer fee has finally been lifted.

Wirtz's fellow summer signings Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong also simultaneously showed for arguably the first time this season the kind of damage they can do when selected on either side of the back four.

The two very offensively-minded full-backs created a whopping 10 chances between them, and it was particularly heartening to see the much-maligned Kerkez finally starting to display the kind of dynamism that convinced Liverpool to sign him from Bournemouth last summer. Nullifying Bukayo Saka during last week's 0-0 draw at Arsenal has unsurprisingly done wonders for his morale.

However, while certainly individuals are improving, Slot's side most certainly is not.

Slot argued after Liverpool's fourth consecutive Premier League draw that recent results are not reflective of "the development of the team". But there is no fooling the fans.

There was an acceptance that Slot needed to tighten things up at the back - particularly away from home - after nine defeats in 12 games in all competitions between September 27 and November 26. However, Liverpool have dropped points at Anfield against each of the Premier League's newly-promoted teams in the past six weeks, while at the same time only scraping past basement boys Wolves.

In that sense, there was nothing remotely surprising about the Reds allowing Burnley to claim a draw at Anfield on Saturday. It was as predictable as Liverpool's patterns of play - or Gakpo cutting inside to shoot with his right foot.

There was also an air of inevitability about Burnley's equaliser, because the longer so many of Liverpool's games go on, the more nervous the players get, and consequently the supporters, thus creating this vicious cycle of insecurity. The net result is that matches are no longer enjoyed but endured - and there's only so long that will be allowed to last.

Outside of the always toxic world of social media, you won't find any Liverpool fans that actually want to see Slot sacked. They still want to see him succeed, as there is a genuine affection for the Dutchman that is tied not only to last season's title triumph but also the dignified way in which he handled a truly traumatic summer for the club.

There's also an acknowledgement that he's been dealt a bad hand. Slot, remember, is very deliberately entitled Liverpool's 'head coach' - not their 'manager', meaning he is not responsible for his squad being shockingly short on centre-backs. However, while Liverpool's transfer team may have got their priorities wrong last summer, the team is looking far less than the sum of its parts - and that's on Slot.

At no point this season does it look like he's got the balance of his side right. At the start of the campaign, they were involved in far too many chaotic encounters. Now, the supporters are being subjected to drab draws on a weekly basis - and the worrying thing is that Slot doesn't really appear to be any closer to recovering his winning formula. At this stage, he really has no choice but to put Mohamed Salah straight back into the starting line-up for Wednesday's Champions League clash with Marseille. 

The pair's relationship may still be strained but, right now, Slot needs Salah more than Salah needs Slot, because Liverpool simply do not have enough goal-scorers in their squad to be able to leave their most prolific player on the bench. Salah's inclusion may create problems from a pressing perspective, but it's up to Slot to solve them to both save Liverpool's season and his job.

He still has some credit in the bank, of course, but it's running out fast, because the fans aren't just frustrated, they're losing faith. They need something to cling to - and if it's not a good cup run, it needs to be concrete evidence that next season will be better.

In that context, the situation at Anfield is no longer solely about results. Unless performances improve, too, the boos will become so loud that neither Slot nor his employers will be able to ignore them.