Liverpool

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Liverpool and Aston Villa.

Here are some of your comments:

Liverpool fans

Paul Evans: A lot better from the Reds - more energy and defended better.

Jan: We need to introduce our new players slowly so that change can be integrated carefully. Resting Milos Kerkez was a good idea, he needs pressure off, not pressure cooker level on every week. The 'Real' tests are following quickly on the back of this. Arne Slot is not a disaster but this past month has been a test of character and leadership. The Slot Machine can function but maybe it is a slower build this time.

Garry: A more disciplined performance from Liverpool, no doubt due to the more settled midfield trio. However, Villa caused their own problems. I doubt either Real Madrid or Man City will provide such gifts! Hugo Ekitike is rapidly becoming a revelation and Mohamed Salah will no doubt gain confidence from his goal. Think Andy Robertson should be a regular choice at left-back.

Dax: It was a back-to-basics display with Liverpool pressing hard and further up the pitch. Dominik Szoboszlai was in electric form and Conor Bradley showed why he deserves to be a regular starter - his determination to win the ball back showing the mettle that is needed to win games. Small tweaks bring large rewards; that was the mantra last season, so it was telling that Slot chose to stick with last season's winning formula with Ekitike and Giorgi Mamardashvilli the only changes. Good result all round.

Dave: Best performance of the season for me. Reason being, we controlled a game of football for long periods, which we haven't done all season. Frankfurt was good, however they gave us lots of space. Here we had to do the work get control.

Aston Villa fans

Mike: There have been some dispiriting defeats for us this season but strangely I don't think this was one of them. The faults were plain for all to see including some exasperating complacency from Emi Martinez when passing out but on the whole I was pleased with the performance. Nice to see Morgan Rogers showing some of his considerable talent and I thought the way we began to fight back after the second goal gave cause for hope. Biggest worry is the injury list especially with a busy week ahead.

Michael: Game decided by Martinez's panicky pass - Villa brought all the pressure on themselves via their inability to play out through Liverpool's high press. Unai Emery must take some blame for this - he never varied the way Villa attempted to play out from the back, constantly inviting pressure on the back line.

Adrian: Thought we did OK overall. Looked good in patches, and not overawed at all. Another Martinez mistake and a clueless 'off script' punt from Pau Torres, combined with a lack of clinical finishing ultimately cost us. We gave Liverpool a good go, but the 'double whammy' of missing the chances we create for ourselves and creating chances for them will destroy progress at this level. Need to be more clinical, cynical, and aggressive mentally.

David: Just our luck to get last season's Liverpool XI instead of this one's. Not a terrible performance but sloppiness at the back cost us again. Another subdued performance from Ollie Watkins who should have been giving Ibrahima Konate nightmares. He needs competition - cancel Harvey Elliott's loan and get someone who really befits a number nine shirt as soon as possible.

Mal: An inadequate performance reflecting a poor defence. Mistakes all over the park. The high line and lack of flexibility in style cost us at least a draw. Ollie looks like he wants away. Most of his performances this season seem to lack interest. The January window will be vital for the rest of the season and it is up to Emery to get the right players.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James says the Reds "looked confident and happy" again as they secured an "important win" against Aston Villa on Saturday.

Six defeats in seven games in all competitions had piled the pressure on Arne Slot, but his decision to play a more familiar starting XI paid off at Anfield.

"It was a really good performance," said James on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "They looked confident and happy.

"They won two halves of a game of football - which is something they have not done in a long time - and the team selection sent out a message from Arne Slot because it was about the older squad players.

"The big money signings of the summer were on the bench and they looked happily different.

"The midfield looked like they knew what they were doing and that helped Alexis Mac Allister get more into the game.

"It was an important win.

"The fans also got behind Slot before the game which helped although I don't think most Liverpool fans were worried about him."

Listen on BBC Sounds

Liverpool's chief scout Barry Hunter was at Fulham on Saturday to watch their £35m Brazilian winger Kevin, 22, feature in a 3-0 win over Wolves.

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Arne Slot on the backing of supporters during and after Liverpool's 2-0 win over Aston Villa: "It means a lot," said Slot. "It happened at 0-0, not when you are leading, not when you are top of the table, but when you're in a difficult situation for the club, for the team and for me.

"To get the support the players got, the support I got, is what makes this club special. They don't forget if you have been a part of something special and they help you when things are difficult.

"We were not winning games, we were losing them and the fans felt the players needed some support - that's what you get from these supporters."

Virgil van Dijk speaking to TNT Sports after Liverpool's win over Aston Villa: "What I've noticed over the last few weeks is that there's a lot of noise that you have no control over and we have to deal with that as a team.

"Some of the takes are ridiculous, but you deal with it. Outside noise can reach certain players, but we stick together.

"We live in a world where everyone can have their own opinions on so many platforms and they know better. We have to stay away from that and focus on the hard work we are doing.

"Last season, we did some negative stuff but everything was all sunshine and rainbows everywhere. Now it sounds like we're going to be in a relegation battle - that's how it works in the world."

Did you know?

• Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 106 Premier League games at Anfield in which they've opened the scoring (W96 D10), with Crystal Palace in April 2017 being the last side to come back from 1-0 down and win there in the competition.

• Mohamed Salah became just the third player in Liverpool's history to reach 250 goals for the club (250th tonight), after Ian Rush (346) and Roger Hunt (285).

Pundits Alan Shearer and Ashley Williams join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

• Nottingham Forest 2-2 Manchester United

• Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day following the win: "The margins are small every single game. After five minutes they hit the post. We didn't concede a set piece, which was helpful, but also we got a bit lucky, which hasn't happened recently. Our second goal was a deflection.

"When they hit the post, that was their biggest chance. Over the last few weeks, every time that ball went in but this time it didn't. Our second goal was a bit of luck, something which we haven't had in the last few weeks.

"The good thing about being 1-0 or 2-0 up is that you can control the game a bit better with more possession, but if you are trailing then you have to chase the game, take risks and risk being counter-attacked.

"I think everyone who was here felt the importance of this game - the players and the fans as well. We showed character and won the game."

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk also spoke to TNT Sports about the performance: "Winning always feels good and keeping a clean sheet after forever felt good as well, but it is only one win. Now it is about recovering and focusing on the next one.

"We were good in possession and we were finding the spare man. We decided they would press with two strikers, so our number six would be free at times if we played the ball quickly enough.

"We made good runs in behind, had opportunities to score goals and the defending as a team was good - that made a difference."

Did you know?

• Liverpool are unbeaten in their past 106 Premier League games at Anfield in which they have opened the scoring (W96 D10). Crystal Palace were the last side to fightback from 1-0 down and win there in the competition (April 2017).

• Mohamed Salah became just the third player in Liverpool's history to reach 250 goals for the club, after Ian Rush (346) and Roger Hunt (285).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Liverpool's performance

What did you make of Aston Villa's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

After making 10 changes for the 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, Liverpool boss Arne Slot returns to his strongest side available.

Andy Robertson and Alexis Mac Allister are the only two players that started in midweek to stay in the side, while midfielder Ryan Gravenberch returns after an ankle injury.

Club-record signing Florian Wirtz is among the substitutes.

Liverpool XI: Mamardashvili, Robertson, Van Dijk, Konate, Bradley, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Gakpo, Salah, Ekitike

Substitutes: Woodman, Pecsi, Gomez, Kerkez, Endo, Nyoni, Wirtz, Chiesa, Ngumoha

Midfielder Emiliano Buendia misses out for Aston Villa with an ankle injury, while forward Harvey Elliott, on loan from Liverpool, is not allowed to play against his parent club.

Just the one change from the side that beat Manchester City on Sunday as Evann Guessand comes in for Buendia.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Digne, Torres, Konsa, Cash, Onana, Kamara, McGinn, Rogers, Guessand, Watkins

Substitutes: Bizot, Lindelof, Mings, Bogarde, Maatsen, Barkley, Malen, Sancho, Broggio

There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Brighton v Leeds

• Burnley v Arsenal - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Crystal Palace v Brentford

• Fulham v Wolves

• Nottingham Forest v Manchester United - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Tottenham v Chelsea (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Liverpool v Aston Villa (20:00)

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Burnley v Arsenal" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Tottenham v Chelsea", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Liverpool boss Arne Slot made a lot of changes for Wednesday's Carabao Cup defeat by Crystal Palace, but it still felt like another damaging defeat - their sixth in the past seven games.

Slot's side play Real Madrid and Manchester City after this, so they desperately need to end this slump in form before it gets any worse.

He rested players against Palace for this weekend, so he knows how important it is. But, on current form, Aston Villa are favourites because they have won their past four league games and are on a roll.

Looking at both teams over the past few weeks, you would expect Villa to get something here - but I need to use all of my knowledge to get the better of AI..

So I'm going to base my prediction on something that I thought about when I was a player: history.

Villa have taken only one point from their past seven visits to Anfield and have only won one of their past 15 league games against Liverpool, although that was a 7-2 success in October 2020.

I had my bogey teams - most of them felt like that by the end, to be honest - and I don't think AI will understand that part of the game.

So I'm going with Liverpool to win, with Mohamed Salah getting a hat-trick.

Sutton's prediction: 3-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport journalist

An out-of-sorts Liverpool entertain an in-form Aston Villa with the two clubs only separated by goal difference in the Premier League table. BBC Sport explores some of the key themes ahead of Saturday night's clash at Anfield.

Liverpool's unprecedented loss of form

The defending champions' drop-off in league form is unprecedented, with the Reds the first team in English top-flight history to win their opening five matches and lose their next four.

Arne Slot's side suffered only four Premier League defeats in the entirety of last season and two of those came after they had already clinched the title.

This weekend they could lose five league matches in a row for the first time since September 1953.

A midweek League Cup loss to Crystal Palace lowered the tone at Anfield even further, although Slot decided to name eight teenagers in his matchday squad and rest the majority of his preferred Premier League team.

Strangely, the visit of Aston Villa might be the necessary tonic for Slot's ailing side. Liverpool have won six of their last seven league clashes with Villa at Anfield, drawing the other. They've also lost just once to the Midlands side in 15 Premier League meetings, drawing three and winning 11.

Villa's red-hot form

Aston Villa are one of just two Premier League teams on a current run of four consecutive victories in the competition, along with league leaders Arsenal.

The upturn in Villa's form is a complete contrast to their opponents and if Unai Emery's side take all three points then they would become just the second side in top-flight history to fail to win any of their first five games and then triumph in the next five in a row, following Preston North End in 1936.

A key protagonist in Villa's mini mid-season revival has been right-back Matty Cash and the 28-year old has signed a new contract at the club until 2029.

The Polish international scored the only goal of the game against Manchester City last Sunday and is one of only four players to score twice from outside the box in the Premier League this season, along with Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, Brighton striker Danny Welbeck and Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo.

"To be honest, I've always had a good shot, I've just never really shown it in games," Cash said last weekend. "This season it seems to be going my way and every time I get the ball on the edge of the box, I've got confidence and feel like I'm going to hit the target a lot of the time."

However, history is against the visitors this weekend. Not only is their recent record against Liverpool abysmal, but the Villans have also lost their past 11 games against the defending Premier League champions, conceding 35 times in the process.

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Aston Villa at (20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Slot confirmed Ryan Gravenberch trained yesterday, is available for Saturday, and a decision will be made if he is able to start the match.

• Alexander Isak and Curtis Jones have not trained and Slot is "99.9% sure they will not be in the squad".

• Asked what his side have been missing in their recent run of defeats, Slot said: "We miss nothing. I am completely happy with the team and all the quality we have. I am also completely convinced by the strategy and policy we have. That also makes the issue not all of them have had a proper pre-season or have been injured."

• More on injuries in the camp: "I am a firm believer that 21, 22 players is enough, but you have to keep them fit like we did last season. We are struggling a bit more to keep them fit for obvious reasons. No excuses for our results but we have had to play a lot of away games with only two days rest in between."

• Slot was asked about rumoured potential discussion around a contract renewal for him: "This was the last question I was expecting! My focus has to be on getting Liverpool back to winning ways. Contract talks even if they are there - we never speak about them here. Let's start by winning again."

• On a lack of clean sheets: "I have won games in the past - City away - when I went away from my beliefs, so I am more than open to adapt to certain situations. I don't think the story is we concede chance after chance after chance. It is absolutely not like this. I don't see a reason to change the style totally but we need to do better."

• On Villa, and their good form after a poor start: "If you don't win at the beginning people say it's not the same team and you win and then it's positive again. With us it's the opposite. Most are around the same points apart from Arsenal so it says the Premier League is tough. You can see the signs of Villa the playing style is really good. Villa didn't make a habit of losing."

• Slot is approaching a key week with optimism: "There are a lot of positives to go into this week. The quality of the players, the amount of chances we are creating is still enough to compete for the positions we want to compete for."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Jordan Chamberlain
Fan writer

There are two good things that can happen in the League Cup. You either win the thing, or lose early enough for it to not unnecessarily fill up your schedule.

Liverpool achieved the latter against Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Last season, they lost in the final having completely run out of energy from the exhausting schedule, one that ridiculously features two-legged League Cup semi-finals.

Thankfully, the Reds were far enough ahead in the Premier League that it did not matter, but we ran out of gas in Europe and in truth, crawled over the line domestically.

Liverpool have loads of injuries. Alisson, Gio Leoni, Jeremie Frimpong, Curtis Jones, Alexander Isak and Ryan Gravenberch were all unavailable at the weekend. Youngsters who would have played the League Cup game in Jayden Danns and Stefan Bajcetic are also out. Perhaps Arne Slot would have picked a better team if we were not in an injury crisis nobody has recognised.

Do I blame Slot for the team he picked? Absolutely not. In two weeks, nobody will remember it. The side he picked suggests he did not really want to to win the game anyway. In the greater scheme of things, I have no issue with this - provided Liverpool beat Aston Villa on Saturday.

This is the one that matters. Then Real Madrid and Manchester City. If we get three negative results in the next week, then Slot's job will be genuinely under threat.

But to suggest he should lose his job on the back of a match he fielded players many fans have not heard of is ludicrous. Slot's been very poor and has made some horrible tactical choices this season that have restricted his best players and left us wide open. We have also had some bad luck and missed too many chances.

It is football. He deserves time to turn it around and I back him to do so.

Find more from Jordan Chamberlain at Empire of the Kop, external

This - it seems - is the season of the set piece.

The Premier League debates are more about dead balls than ever before, with some sides enjoying immense success from corner kicks, throw ins or well-worked free-kicks.

What fine timing then for BBC Sport to launch a column with former manager Tony Pulis, a man who seemed to finely extract the fine margins from the game.

You can take in Tony's column on set pieces here

Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have entered into talks to sign 19-year-old Feyenoord and Netherlands Under-21 full-back Givairo Read, who is also a target of several Premier League clubs including Liverpool. (Sky Sports - in German), external

Chelsea have emerged as favourites to sign 20-year-old Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz, after tabling an exciting proposal for the Turkey international, but Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United are keen as well. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer news? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Liverpool boss Arne Slot and if it is too soon to talk about his job being under threat after six defeats in seven matches, or if change should not be ruled out.

Here are some of your comments:

Paschal: Just a lull Liverpool are going through. Slot will turn it around. Just a matter of putting the players in positions they are comfortable and happy to play in. Time to put Joe Gomez at right-back and give him a chance. Let the new players have time to settle in. Patience is needed - it will come right.

James: If Slot can't turn things around quickly then his position does need consideration. You can't make the financial commitment Liverpool have made and not see results. People continually mention transition and bedding in, but top players should hit the ground running - likewise managers.

Karl: He should be given more time. We aren't a knee-jerk reaction team. Everyone is still dealing with the loss of Diogo Jota and then add so many new players into the mix. He is still the right man for the job.

Richard: The problem is Slot won the Premier League with Jurgen Klopp's team. This was amazing. However, now he has spent hundreds of millions of pounds to improve and put his stamp on the team and club, it is all going wrong. When you watch him on the touchline, he doesn't seem to know how to fix things when they go wrong. We have stopped pressing and terrorising opponents. For some reason, we now play at training-game pace, and only really bring the hammer in the last 15 minutes or so when we're behind and chasing the game. This is not Liverpool at all.

Paul: To suggest Slot is in trouble would be akin to saying last season never happened! We are not, and never have been, a 'sacking club'. We leave desperation to others. The guy has earned a year at least to sort this new team out. The talent is clearly there, but they haven't clicked yet. Time, ladies and gentlemen, please.

Ryan: Way too soon to be talking about getting rid of the manager. Players need time to settle. Before we signed them they were the envy of the big sides. We don't turn into a bad team overnight, but Slot doesn't help himself with some of his decisions - and that is what he can control. Liverpool operate differently and I can't see us cutting Slot and his staff so soon. However, results are what count, ultimately, and if things don't improve - and quickly - then we all know how the road ends. The players have to step up too, by the way - it shouldn't all be on the manager. Some have been way below an acceptable standard for Liverpool.

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool fan Abigail Rudkin said "it was so disappointing" to see the team sheet on Wednesday, adding that Arne Slot "sacrificed" the Carabao Cup to rest key players.

Fans have criticised the Liverpool boss' decision to make so many changes for the Crystal Palace tie when they had already lost five of their past six matches and were seven points adrift of Arsenal in the league before Wednesday's 3-0 home defeat.

Speaking to BBC Sport, she said: "Walking to the game, me and my dad got the teamsheet and we were like, 'he's sacrificed this'. I understand we are losing games at the moment but you need to try to get a winning mentality back.

"You at least think on the bench you'll have a Mo Salah there, or someone like that who could change the game - maybe [Hugo] Ekitike - but he didn't do that.

"We are losing patience. I think there are two different sides of the fanbase at the minute.

"There are those on social media that are calling on him to lose his job, and there are the people I see at the ground, like me, who are losing patience going to these games and not enjoying it as much with losing the games, but they also want to stay patient with him because we are very grateful to him for what we've had from last season when we thought it would all fall apart without Jurgen Klopp.

"You can sense tension between everyone and the fans are disagreeing a bit more now. Inside the ground, people were leaving a bit earlier than I usually see. There were moans and groans around."

Liverpool host Aston Villa on Saturday, before facing Real Madrid and Manchester City in the Champions League and Premier League respectively.

"If we don't win that game [against Aston Villa], even if it's a draw, it's not enough," added Rudkin. "The title race will be over by that point.

"That's why [the Palace game] felt like we needed that win for mentality. We needed to get a boost, a little bit of confidence within the team.

"But now you're going on the back of six defeats out of seven and it brings anxiety to the fans in the ground. It's a worrying time to be a Liverpool fan."